Adsorption efficiency of a continuous trapping system and its use for the collection of root exudates from cucumber

Root exudates comprising soluble low‐molecular‐weight organic compounds (LMWOCs) play a crucial role in the rhizosphere processes. Therefore, accurate determination of the composition and quantity of these compounds is of importance. A continuous trapping system (CTS) with XAD‐4 macroporous resin is widely used for collecting root exudates in hydroponics, and ion exchange resins are used in the separation of root exudates into neutral, acid and basic fractions. Here, we studied the adsorption equilibrium isotherms and dynamic adsorption properties of 27 standard LMWOCs on XAD‐4 resin. The adsorption isotherms of most LMWOCs matched the Langmuir isotherm equations. Furthermore, we investigated the adsorption efficiency of the CTS for LMWOCs and the recovery ratios during fractionation by ion exchange resins. The adsorption capacities of the CTS for LMWOCs which are non‐polar or having large non‐polar moieties were higher. The recovery ratios of most LMWOCs were larger than 80% during fractionation. The overall recovery ratios of LMWOCs were ca. 10, 20, and 30% for sugars, organic acids, and amino acids, respectively. Using this collection method, we present the composition and quantity of root exudates of cucumber (Cumumis sativus L.) at four different growth stages. The major components of root exudates were similar to previous works, whereas the quantities were different. The various collection methods may be the main reason for these differences. Therefore, it is necessary to study the overall recovery ratios when the compositions of root exudates via different collection methods are compared.