04 Janurary 2018

Plant Growth Regulators

Introduc)on  

1
 04 Janurary 2018

• Plant  growth  and  development    

– Nutri4onal  factors  
– Chemical  messengers  
• Hormones    
• Vitamins  

• Growth  
– Irreversible  change  in  mass  i.e.  increase  in  size,  
volume  and  weight  of  any  other  part  of  plant  
– Quan4ta4ve  increase  in  plant  body  
• Development  
– Irreversible  change  in  State    
– Qualita4ve  increase  in  plant  body  
 

Growth  is  a  con4nous  process  while  

Development  is  a  phase  to  phase  process    

2
 04 Janurary 2018

• an   organic   compound,   either   natural   or  

synthe4c,   that   modifies   or   controls   one   or  
more  physiological  processes  within  a  plant.  

3
 04 Janurary 2018

Growth Regulators
Natural

Plant hormones

Synthetic

4
 04 Janurary 2018

Classifica4on  PGR  
• On  basis  of  origin  
– Natural  Hormone  
– Synthethic  Hormones    
– Postulated  Hormone  (Florigen)  
• On  basis  of  Nature  of  func)on  
– Growth  Promo4ng  Hormone  (Auxins,GB.CK)  
– Growth  Inhibi4ng  Hormone  (ABA,  EH)  

Difference  b/w  Hormones  and  growth  

regulators  
Hormones   Growth  Regulators  

Naturally  produced   Both  naturally  and  ar4ficially  produced  

Principle  compound  with  func4onal  group   Combina4on  of  hormones  and  non  
nutrient  chemicals  

Commonly  known  hormones   Commonly  known  GR  are:  

IAA  ,GB  ,CT  ,ABA  ,ETH     GIC,GPC  ,RPC  

5
 04 Janurary 2018

• All  plant  hormones  are  plant  growth  

regulators  but  
• All  plant  growth  regulators  are  not  plant  
hormones  

Classifica4on    

• Classes  of  Plant  Hormones  :    

• It  is  accepted  that  there  are  two  major  classes  
of  plant  hormones:    

6
 04 Janurary 2018

Hormones

Production storage

Growth  Regulators  
v  5  recognized  groups  of  natural  plant  hormones  
and  growth  regulators.  
 Auxins  
   Gibberellins  
 Cytokinins  
 Ethylene  
 Abscisic  acid  

7
04 Janurary 2018

8
 04 Janurary 2018

Auxins  
IBA
Synthetic

NAA

2-4D

Natural IAA

Sites  of  auxin  synthesis  

Shoot  apical  meristems  

Young leaves

Young fruits and seeds

Root apical meristems

9
 04 Janurary 2018

• Auxins
– Role of auxins in plants:
• Stimulate cell elongation
– Bend toward light because more auxin remains in cells
on opposite side of light source
– involved in tropic responses
• Promotes apical dominance
• Promotes growth of adventitious roots

• Auxin  promotes  elonga4on  and  cell  enlargement.  

10
 04 Janurary 2018

• Auxin produced in apical buds tends to inhibit the

activation of buds lower on the stems.

Auxins  apparently  s)mulates  

Ethylene  produc)on  

11
 04 Janurary 2018

Commercial    
Applica)ons  of  Auxins  

• Promotes or inhibits abscission of leaves, flowers

and fruit
– NAA applied shortly after bloom is used to thin apples
– NAA applied during fruit development inhibits
abscission of apples
• Auxin concentration determines if action is
stimulatory or inhibitory
– Low concentration promotes adventitious root growth,
but high concentration inhibits root growth of cuttings
– 2, 4-D is used as herbicide by applying at high
concentrations

12
 04 Janurary 2018

•Promotes growth of adventitious roots.

–We used both IBA and NAA with geranium cuttings

Inhibi)on  of  Abscission  

Forma)on  of  an  abscission   Petiole or pedicel

layer  at  the  base  

shedding of leaves,
flowers or fruits

prevent the formation

Auxins inhibit abscission
of abscission layer

13
 04 Janurary 2018

Pre-­‐mature  fruit  drop  

Auxins such as 2, 4 - D, IAA, IBA have been used
successfully to prevent premature fruit drop in
apples, pears and oranges

Auxin Spray Prevents Premature Fruit Abscission and Increase in

Yield.a) Auxin Sprayed b) Auxin not Sprayed

14
 04 Janurary 2018

• Parthenocarpy  
• NAA  and  IBA  treatment  induces  parthenocarpy  of  fruits  in  
tomatoes,  ladies  finger  and  brinjal.    

• Weedicides  

Destruction of Weeds by 2,4-D Spray

15
 04 Janurary 2018

• Roo)ng  
     NAA,  IBA  and  IAA  are  used  to  induce  roo4ng  of  
cuUngs  of  woody  plants  like  guava.  

• Flowering  
• Foliar  spray  of  NAA  and  2,  4  -­‐  D  induces  flowering  
in  litchi  and  pineapple.    

16
 04 Janurary 2018

•Dormancy
•Dormancy of seeds can be broken by auxin
application.
•Storage
•The methyl ester of NAA is used to prevent the
sprouting of potato tubers.
•Vegetable crops
•Auxins improve the quality of vegetable crops
by inhibiting flower formation in some plants.

Cytokinins
– Types of cytokinins used in horticulture

• Several natural forms

– Zeatin first cytokinin isolated

• Synthetic cytokinins used in horticulture:

– Benzyladenine (BA)

17
 04 Janurary 2018

Role of cytokinins
• Cell  division  
• Breaking  dormancy  
• Apical  dominance  
• Delay  of  Senescence  
• Sex  expression  
• Induc4on  of  parthenocarpy  

Commercial Applications of Cytokinins

Preventing premature senescence

Shelf life

cabbage

18
 04 Janurary 2018

Cytokinins may slow or prevent leaf senescence.

Cytokinin treated plant (L)

Gibberellins (GA)
Role of Gibberellins

• Gibberellins  work  with  auxins  to  promote  rapid  

elonga4on  and  division  of  stem  4ssue.  

GA on dwarf tomato and dwarf peas

19
 04 Janurary 2018

•
Primarily  produced  in  roots  and  travels  to  the  
shoots  in  the  xylem  sap.  
• Promotes  growth  of  lateral  buds  .  
• Promo4ng  male  flowers  in  cucumbers  for  seed  
produc4on.  
• Used  commercially  in:  
– S4mula4ng  seed  germina4on  &  seedling  growth.  
– Influences  flower  and  fruit  development  

Fruit  growth  
• It  is  used  to  increase  fruit  size  and  bunch  length  in  grapes.  
• (GA3)  is  used  for  the  cul4va4on  of  seedless  grapes.    

20
 04 Janurary 2018

• It  is  also  applied  to  some  citrus  fruits  for  the  improvement  of  
the  fruit  seUng  as  well  as  for  a  delay  of  matura4on  (storage  
advantage).    
• Delayed  ripening  
– It  delay  fruit  maturity  and  senescence  in  lemons,  oranges  
and  cherries.  This  helps  in  storing  the  fruits.  
• Flowering  
– It  help  in  the  flowering  of  many  long  day  plants.  
• Breaking  of  Dormancy  
– It  helps  in  breaking  dormancy  in  “seed  potatoes”  resul4ng  
in  uniform  crop  emergence.  
• Parthenocarpy  
– It  is  used  along  with  auxins  to  induce  parthenocarpy.  It  
induces  parthenocarpy  in  apples,  pears,  tomatoes  and  
cucumbers.  

Abscisic Acid
• Widespread  in  plant  body  –  moves  readily  through  plant  
• ABA  promotes  seed  dormancy  ac4vi4es.  
• Control  of  stomatal  closure  in  leaves  
• Low  levels  of  ABA  in  maturing  seeds  promote  premature  
germina4on.  

21
 04 Janurary 2018

• Bud  dormancy  
– It  is  a  growth  inhibitor,  causing  bud  and  seed  dormancy  .  
• Seed  dormancy  
– It  maintains  dormancy  in  many  seeds.  
• Senescence  
– ABA  accelerates  senescence  in  leaves.  
• Cell  division  and  cell  elonga)on  
– It  delays  cell  division  and  cell  elonga4on.  
• Roo)ng  
It  promotes  roo4ng  of  stem  cuUngs  in  some  plants  
• Flowering  
– It  inhibits  flowering  except  in  some  short  day  plants  where  
it  promotes  flowering.  

Ethylene

• Gaseous  hormone,  diffuses  readily  throughout  the  plant.    

• May  promote  leaf  senescence  and  abscission    
• Degreening  of  oranges,  lemons  and  grapefruit  –  ethylene  
gas  breaks  down  chlorophyll  and  lets  colors  show  through.  

22
 04 Janurary 2018

Ethylene

Fruit growth and ripening

Flowering

Inhibitory effect on growth

Suppression of bud growth

Commercial  Applica)ons  of  Ethylene  

• Fruit  Ripening  
• Exogenous  applica4on  of  ethylene  induces  climacteric  
(sudden  but  brief  rise  in  respira4on  rate)  and  the  fruits  ripen  
quickly.    
• Examples:  Banana,  mango  and  apple.  
• Feminising  effect  
• Exogenous  supply  of  small  quan44es  of  ethylene  increases  
the  number  of  female  flowers  and  hence  the  fruits.    
• Example:  Cucumber  

23
 04 Janurary 2018

• Promotes  abscission      
       In  some  plant  species,  ethylene  promotes  abscission,  which  is  
the  detachment  of  leaves,  flowers,  or  fruits  from  a  plant.  
Cherries  and  walnuts  are  harvested  with  mechanical  tree  
shakers.  Ethylene    treatment  increases  the  number  of  fruits  
that  fall  to  the  ground  when  the  trees  are  shaken.  

24
 04 Janurary 2018

Flowering  Hormone  
• There  is  increasing  evidence  to  suggest  that  a  flowering  
hormone  exists  in  plants.  This  is  has  been  supported  by  a  
number  of  grading  experiments.    
• A  short  day  plant  kept  in  long  day  condi4ons  can  be  induced  
to  flower,  if  a  properly  photo  induced  plant  is  graded  on  it.    
• It  clearly  indicates  that  a  diffusible  flowering  hormone  has  
moved  from  one  plant  to  the  other  and  has  induced  the  laeer  
to  flower.    
• This  hormone  has  been  named  florigen  but  it  has  so  far  not  
been  isolated.    

25