The three hydroxycinnamic acids tested in this work, caffeic,
p-coumaric, and ferulic acids, induced reduction of O. crenata
radicle growth, although clear differences were observed in the
dose response. Caffeic acid has been reported to inhibit seed
germination and root elongation of several plants, such as
Euphorbia esula.17 We observed a strong reduction of O. crenata
radicle length with the lowest doses of caffeic acid applied, but
further increases in the doses were inefficient to achieve further
inhibition of O. crenata radicle growth. Ferulic acid treatments
inhibited the root growth of maize seedlings associated with the
inhibition of amylase and maltase