Inhibition of protein synthesis in lettuce (Latuca sativa L.) by allelopathic compounds

The effects of ferulic, cinnamic, and ellagic acids on the development of roots and protein synthesis in lettuce seedlings (Latuca sativa L., variety of Black Seeded Simpson) are reported here. Both ferulic and cinnamic acids were found to inhibit protein synthesis of the seedlings either when added from the beginning of the germination period, or when added for a short period of time to seedlings which had already germinated under control conditions. Ellagic acid, at the same pH and osmotic concentrations as the effective inhibitors, was completely ineffective in inhibiting either growth of roots or protein synthesis. It is shown that utilization of ¹⁴C] amino acid incorporation into seedlings appears to be a sensitive, reliable, and appropriate indicator of allelopathic inhibition of plant growth. Utilizing this method, it should be possible to determine if the effect on protein synthesis by putative allelopathic compounds is a general phenomenon and may, in turn, help to elucidate the role of these compounds.