Degradation dynamics of nine phenolic acids in American ginseng and maize grown soils

To get more information about the effects of microorganisms on the phenolic acids degradation, 9-phenolic acids (p-hydroxybenzoic, vanillic, syringic, p-coumaric, ferulic, benzoic, salicylic, cinnamic acids and vanillin) were added to American ginseng and maize grown soils at two sites (Gejia and Zetou Town, Wendeng District, Weihai City, Shandong Province, China) and determined the residual concentrations of these phenolic acids. All phenolic acids were degraded in 3-days in natural soil and in 9-days in sterilized soil, showing the role of microorganisms in phenolic acid degradation. In addition, crop species had significant effect (P ?0.05) on the microbiological degradation rate (MDR) of syringic, p-coumaric, salicylic, vanillic acids and vanillin, while soil sampling sites had significant effects (P ?0.05) on the MDR of syringic, ferulic and salicylic acids. This study revealed that soil microorganisms mediated by crop species and soil physico-chemical properties affected the degradation of phenolic acids in soil. This finding will aid to understand the interactions between the soil phenolic acids and microorganisms.