CONTROL OF PLANT

GROWTH BY AUXINS
Auxin/INDOLE-3-ACETIC ACID(IAA)

 Auxin is a type of chemical which control the

tropism.
 To be more specific, Auxin is a plant

hormone.
 Auxin is produced by cells at the tip of the roots
and shoots of plants.
 At the top Of the cell, there is a section where

cells are being produced by dividing so the

shoot grows (meristems).
 The growth of the cells are controlled by

"auxin".
 Auxin is what allows a plant to grow, so if you

cut off the auxin, the plant will not grow.

Auxins: Chemical Control of Tropisms
• Plants respond to stimuli by producing a growth
hormone called auxin which controls the direction of
growth of roots or stems
• Therefore we say plants control their
growth chemically
• Auxin is mostly made in the tips of the growing stems
and roots and can diffuse to other parts of the stems or
roots; spreading from a high concentration in the shoot
tips down the shoot to an area of lower concentration.
• Auxin stimulates the cells behind the tip to elongate (get larger); the
more auxin there is, the faster they will elongate and grow
• This is an important point. Only the region behind the tip of a shoot is able to
contribute to growth by cell division and cell elongation. This part of a shoot is
called the meristem.
• If light shines all around the tip, auxin is distributed evenly throughout
and the cells in the meristem grow at the same rate - this is what
normally happens with plants growing outside
• When light shines on the shoot predominantly from one side though, the
auxin produced in the tip concentrates on the shaded side, making the
cells on that side elongate and grow faster than the cells on the sunny
side
• This unequal growth on either side of the shoot causes the shoot to
bend and grow in the direction of the light
 The role of auxin can be tested using seedlings placed
in a box that has a slit on one side, only allowing light
in from one direction:
Investigating the phototropic response
results:
• Auxin plays a role in a plants response to gravity,
affecting plant shoots and roots in different ways
• When shoots grow away from gravity it is known
as negative geotropism
• Gravity modifies the distribution of auxin so that it
accumulates on the lower side of the shoot
• As seen in the phototropic response, auxin increases the rate
of growth in shoots, causing the shoot to grow upwards
• When roots grow towards gravity it is known
as positive geotropism
• In roots, higher concentrations of auxin results in a lower
rate of cell elongation
• The auxin that accumulates at the lower side of the
root inhibits cell elongation
• As a result, the lower side grows at a slower rate than the
upper side of the root
• This causes the root to bend downwards
 Auxins in the shoot stimulate cell growth (by
stimulating the absorption of water, forcing
cells to expand)

 Auxins in the root slow down cell growth (by

inhibiting the absorption of water, forcing
cells to remain same)
 Auxin in Phototropism
 If sun shines on the right side of plants shoot,
auxins will accumulate on the dark opposite left.
 Auxin accumulating on the dark side will

obviously grow at a faster rate than the left side

of the plant.
 When the right side of the plant is growing

faster than the left side, the plant starts to bend

towards the right side towards sunlight.
 We call this phototropism.
 Auxin in Gravitropism
 Auxin like to settle at the bottom of the root.

 This does not make the tip of the root grow

taller. Interestingly, auxin prevents the cells at
the bottom tip of the root from growing,
allowing the cells in the middle to grow faster.
 When the cells in the middle of the root start
to grow faster, what this does it that it
pushes the root deeper into the soil and the
root gets longer.

 Additionally, the root grows in the direction

of gravitational pull. We call this geotropism.
 WEEDS
Weeds: these are unwanted plants growing among
the cultivated crops.
Weed killers: Weed killers are used to ​selectively
kill plants​.
 One of the main herbicides contains an organic

compound known as ​2,4-D (2,4- 2,4-

Dichlorophenoxyacetic acid)​, which is a ​
synthetic plant auxin hormone​.
 When a plant is exposed to 2,4-D, it results in ​

rapid and uncontrolled cell growth​, respiration,

leading to the plant’s death
 Some plant species are more sensitive than
others to synthetic plant hormones, so
weedkillers can be selective.

 Many weedkillers kill only broad-leaved

plants (dicotyledons), leaving grasses
(moncotyledons) unharmed.
Natural auxin (IAA) is actively transported
into cells by a carrier protein molecule in the
cell membrane and leaves the cells by
facilitated diffusion through a different
channel protein molecule.
 The importing protein will also work for 2,4-

D. However the exporting protein cannot

transfer 2,4-D back out of the cell.