Characterization of Short-Term Stress Applied to the Root System by Electrical Impedance Measurement in the First Leaf of Corn (<i>Zea mays</i> L.) and Pumpkin (<i>Cucurbita maxima</i> L.)

Abstract

We applied electrical spectroscopic impedance measurements (ESI) to the first leaf of intact plants of corn and pumpkin. The electric capacity (C) and resistance (Rp) were determined at the characteristic frequency (FC). We observed that the electrical parameters of the ESI change in relation to the nutrition and the addition to the root medium of KCN, N,N'-dicyclohexylcar-bodiimide (DCCD), CH 3 COOH, H 2 SO 4 , polyethylene glycol 200 (PEG 200) and NaCl. The amplitude of the curves of bioimpedance spectrometry decreased when plant roots were stressed comparatively to their controls. An increase of the electrical capacity with a reduction of the electrical resistance characterizes a stress. The increase of stress intensity provokes decreases of Rp and curve amplitudes and an increase of C. We conclude that electrical parameters studied can be widely used for stress characterization.