Organic acids in the rhizosphere of Zea mays and Phaseolus aureus plants

Summary Soils from rhizosphere and non-rhizosphere of maize and mung crops and an uncultivated field were analysed for organic carbon, total nitrogen, cation exchange capacity and pH. The rhizosphere soils showed higher carbon and nitrogen content than non-rhizosphere soils. Phenolic acids viz, vanillic, p-hydroxybenzoic, p-coumaric, salicylic and syringic and pyrocatechol were detected in different cultivated and uncultivated soils. Pyrocatechol was absent from rhizosphere soils of both crops while p-coumaric and salicylic acids were not detected in rhizosphere of mung crop and nonrhizosphere of maize crop respectively. Syringic acid was present only in case of maize. Gluconic, tartaric, and citric acids were also detected in different soils. re]19720712