Plant Growth Regulators: Their Use in Crop Production
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rth Central Ftegion Extension Publication 303 IOWA Ill IND - KANSAS uo Plant Growth Regulators: Their Use in Crop Production Charles L. Harms Edward S. Oplinger Department of Agronomy Department of Agronomy Purdue University University of Wisconsin-Madison Plant growth regulators (PGRs) are organic fore, use of PGRs on field crops has not been compounds, other than nutrients, that modify as vigorously pursued by chemical companies plant physiological processes. PRGs, called and public research scientists. In fact, PGRs biostimulants or bioinhibitors, act inside plant represent the smallest market share of the cells to stimulate or inhibit specific enzymes or principal categories of chemicals applied to enzyme systems and help regulate plant me- field crops in the United States. They are pri- tabolism. They normally are active at very low marily used to control suckers in tobacco, as concentrations in plants. lodging control agents for cotton and cereals, The importance of PGRs was first recog- as harvest aids for cotton, and as ripeners for nized in the 1930s. Since that time, natural sugarcane. and synthetic compounds that alter function, shape, and size of crop plants have been discovered. Today, specific PGRs are used to modify crop growth rate and growth pattern Classes of Growth Regulators during the various stages of development, from PGRs may be naturally occurring, plant germination through harvest and post-harvest produced chemicals called hormones, or they preservation. may be synthetically produced compounds. Growth regulating chemicals that have Most PGRs, natural and synthetic, fall into positive influences on major agronomic crops one of the following classes: can be of value. The final test, however, is that Auxins primarily control growth through harvested yields must be increased or crop cell enlargement. although there are instances quality enhanced in order for PGRs to be pro- of auxin-kduced'cell division. They may act as fitable. both stimulators and inhibitors of growth, and Of the many current uses of PGRs, effects cause different plant parts (shoots, buds, and on yield are often indirect (Morgan, 1979). roots) to respond differently. For example, at Some of these uses include: (1) preventing lodg- low concentrations, the auxin-like herbicide ing in cereals, (2) preventing preharvest fruit 2,4-D stimulates cell enlargement, whereas at drop, (3) synchronizing maturity to facilitate higher concentrations. it inhibits enlargement mechanical harvest, (4) hastening maturity to or-is even toxic to cells. Auxins also stFmulate decrease turnover time, and (5) reducing labor differentiation of cells, the formation of roots requirements. Studies conducted on major on plant cuttings, and the formation of xylem grain crops, such as corn, soybean, wheat, and and phloem tissues. rice, have identified materials capable of alter- Gibberellins control cell elongation and ing individual agronomic characteristics like division in plant shoots. They have been lodging, plant height, seed number, and matu- shown to stimulate ribonucleic acid and pro- rity. Even so, these changes have not always tein synthesis in plant cells. resulted in increased yields. Cytokinins act in cell division, cell Field crops produce relatively low dollar enlargement, senescence, and transport of returns compared to horticultural crops. There- amino acids in plants. - - Sponsored by the Cooperative Extension Services of Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, South Dakota, and Wisconsin. For the specific regulation of many plant carefully controlled conditions are not easy to processes and the differentiation of cells into reproduce in the field (Rappaport, 1980). specific plant parts, a variety of ratios and Effects of environment, crop management, and concentrations of these three plant hormone variety on crop responses and yields are usu- classes are required rather than a single hor- ally much more pronounced than the effects of mone acting alone. PGRs. This makes it difficult to demonstrate a Other naturally occurring regulators of yield or quality response to the application of plant growth and plant metabolic activity can a PGR. be classed as inhibitors and ethylene. Inhibitors represent a wide assortment of internally produced chemical compounds, each of which inhibits the catalytic action of a Effects of PGRs on Crop Growth specific enzyme. Since a plant cell may con- tain as many as 10,000 different enzymes, there are a wide variety of inhibitors acting Germination and Emergence inside the cell. Ethylene is internally produced Several plant hormones have been shown by plants and has a multitude of effects on cell to affect germination of seeds of some plant processes. It interacts with auxins to regulate species (Nickell, 1982). The primary event of many metabolic processes. Several chemical breaking seed dormancy is stimulated by gib- compounds that release ethylene after being berellins. Field crops, such as corn, soybean, sprayed on plants are currently commercial and small grains, have a very brief dormancy PGR products. period after seed maturity. Thus, dormancy is A wide assortment of plant growth- not a factor in stand establishment. Volunteer promoting products are being marketed with plants of field crops, which begin growing claims made for beneficial effects on crop after harvest, attest to the fact that PGRs that growth and yields. Typically, these products break dormancy are not required to aid germi- are supposed to: (1) promote germination nation. and/or emergence, (2) stimulate root growth, Germination of field crops is sometimes (3) promote mobilization and translocation of decreased by cold soil temperatures (Cole and nutrients within plants, (4) increase stress Wheeler, 1974). Cole and Wheeler's research tolerance and improve water relations in showed that cotton seeds soaked for 6 to 24 plants, (5) promote early maturity, (6) increase hours in gibberellic acid or cyclic AMP disease resistance, (7) retard senescence, or (8) increased germination percentages over a improve crop yields and/or quality. range of temperatures. To be effective, the Usually, the claims are made for plant hor- seeds must absorb the PGR into the embryo mone products or products that affect the con- cells. For absorption of PGRs to occur, seeds centrations and ratios of plant hormones inter- must be placed in a solution containing the nally. Most often, the ingredients in these PGR for 8 or more hours. More practical products are found to be: methods of seed treatment caused little seed Extracts from bacteria, yeast, fungi, response because the PGR did not penetrate marine algae, and sea kelp. Usually, low con- the seed coat (Kellerhals, 1986). centrations of auxin, gibberellin, and cytoki- While germination of several crop species nin and adenine, or adenosine monophosphate has been increased by gibberellic acid, indole (AMP) are claimed. acetic acid, succinic acid, and fusiococcin, all Adenine, AMP, and cyclic AMP. treatments required seed soaking to incor- Indole butyric acid and/or indole acetic porate the chemical into the seed. Soaking ini- acid. Both of these are auxins. tiates water imbibition, germination, and Gibberellins-a family of approximately softening of the seed, which makes planting 70 chemical compounds. with current planters difficult. Cytokinins-6 furfuryl-amino purine, 6- For most field crops, poor seedling emer- benzyl-amino purine, zeatin, dihydrozeatin, gence through soil crusts, dry soils, and cold and 20 other related chemical compounds. soils is more of a problem than is poor germi- Polyethylene glycol. nation. Large-seeded broadleaf crops emerge Dinoseb-2-sec butyl4,6dinitrophenol. by an elongating hypocotyl dragging large Proteins and/or amino acids. cotyledons through the soil. Some short- Carboxylic, phenolic, and/or humic acids. statured wheat varieties have short coleoptiles These products may provide some of the and cannot be planted at soil depths greater eight benefits listed above when applied to than 2 inches. This prevents their use in dry field crops grown in growth chambers or soils, where seeds must be planted deeper than greenhouses. However, results obtained under 2 inches to come in contact with moisture. 2 Data on the effects of PGRs on emergence translocation within plants comes from short- are very limited, although gibberellic acid has term laboratorv- studies. been shown to increase seedling height of Gibberellic acid stimulates ~hos~hate beans, wheat, and soybean. It is not known if uptake into corn root cells, potassium uptake gibberellic acid increases the force exerted by in wheat, and sulfate translocation from root seedlings against the soil to aid emergence. to shoot in pea seedlings. Indole acetic acid Seedlings emerging under stress of a soil crust both depresses and increases potassium uptake produce ethylene, which results in thickened in corn seedlings, depending upon concentra- hypocotyls and greater emergence force. tion. These studies conducted under controlled Currently, seed treatments of commercial environment conditions cannot be duplicated value are used as protectants from diseases, in field studies where foliar- or soil-applied insects, and herbicides. Commercially impor- plant hormones must exert control over long tant seed treatments include fungicides, insec- periods of time. ticides, and seed safeners. Safeners are chemi- Several of the "growth stimulant" products cals that protect seedlings so a herbicide can