Chemical coordination in plants

Responses shown by plants are known as tropisms.

There are two main types of tropisms:

 positive tropisms – the plant grows towards the stimulus
 negative tropisms – the plant grows away from the stimulus

 Phototropism is a response where the stimulus is light, whereas geotropism (also called gravitropism) is
a response where the stimulus is gravity.
 The five commonly recognized groups of plant hormones (growth substances) are auxins,
gibberellins, cytokinins, abscisic acid, and ethylene.

Uses of plant hormones in crop production (agriculture)

 Selective weedkillers (herbicide) – some plants will absorb the growth substances more. They will
grow too quicky and die. Effective in getting rid of weeds around crops.
Example - dandelions without killing the grass, or getting rid of thistles without killing the wheat
plants.
 Rooting powder – encourages quick root growth in stem cuttings. Useful in asexual reproduction.
 Fruit ripening – hormones can be used to speed up or slow down ripening. Useful when fruits
need to be transported far or fruits are needed any time of the year.
 Seedless fruits can be produced by spraying plant hormones on the flowers.
 Dormancy – seed germinating can be stopped until ideal conditions are available. Germination
can also be triggered using hormones.