Growth and Development

Growth refers to increase in size by cell division and enlargement, and development
refers to the differentiation of cells into various tissues and organs that produce a mature
plant.
Longitudinal and radial growth
Longitudinal growth (apical growth): apical meristem
Radial growth (secondary thickening growth): vascular cambium
External and internal factors
The external factors include temperature, light, water, oxygen, carbon dioxide, and
mineral nutrition.
Internal factors include
Genetic mechanism
Plant growth regulators or hormones.
Plant growth regulators
(1) Auxins:
Indole-3-acetic acid (IAA) is a typical auxin. Auxin occurs chiefly in young growing
tissue such as stem tips, young leaves, flowers, embryos, and root tips. Auxin transport is
strongly polar, and the auxin moves downward from stem tips and young leaves,
producing a gradient of decreasing concentration from stem tips to roots.
Auxin promotes stem elongation, caused apical dominance by inhibiting the development
of axillary shoot buds.
(2) Gibberellins:
Gibberellins have nearly as many effects as auxins on plants.
The most conspicuous characteristics of the gibberellins is their ability to cause stem
elongation especially in dwarf plants including many genetic dwarfs.
Gibberellins move both upward and downward different from auxins.
(3) Cytokinins:
Cytokinins are basically substances that stimulate cell division, but also are involved in
other processes such as cell enlargement, tissue differentiation, flowering and fruit
development, and delaying senescence.
(4) Ethylene:
Ethylene has important physiological effects on plants, including breaking dormancy,
hastening ripening of fruits, etc.
(5) Abscisic acid:
Unlike other hormones it is basically a growth inhibitor. It accumulates in at least some
kinds of woody plants under short photoperiods, and application of ABA to some
perennials causes dormancy. ABA hastens leaf abscission.