This experiment was designed to further evaluate the effect of root applied N-(2-chloro-4-pyridyl)-N -phenylurea (CPPU) on plant growth, chlorophyll content, leaf water potential and photosynthetic rate of capsicum plants. The roots of 6-week-old capsicum seedlings were soaked in 2 concentrations (1 or 10 mg？L-1) of CPPU for 2 hours. Root applied CPPU at 10 mg？L-1 treated plants significantly decreased plant height and leaf expansion, and by 3 weeks after CPPU treatment, chlorophyll content of 10 mg？L-1 CPPU was significantly lower than untreated controls. Photosynthetic rates were not affected by CPPU treatment. Leaf water potential of the 10 mg？L-1 CPPU-treated plants was lower than untreated controls, possibly due to a small osmotic adjustment as stomatal resistance and photosynthetic rate were not affected. Xylem sap collected from the roots of CPPU-treated capsicum plants had less detectable gibberellin, possibly associated with blocking of gibberellin biosynthesis.