OSU Extension Service Enter keywords to search...

Search

TOPICS GET INVOLVED ABOUT CONTACT US COVID-19 SAFETY AND SUCCESS

Home /  Gardening, Lawn, and Landscape /  Gardening Techniques

How hormones and growth regulators a ect your plants

July 2012
Hormones are produced naturally by plants, while plant growth
regulators are applied to plants by humans. Plant hormones and growth Ann Marie VanDerZanden 

regulators are chemicals that a ect: Master Gardener statewide coordinator
(Former)
Flowering.
Aging. Share
Root growth.  Print
Distortion and killing of organs.
Prevention or promotion of stem elongation.
Color enhancement of fruit.
Prevention of lea ng, leaf fall or both.
Many other conditions.

Very small concentrations of these substances produce major growth

changes.

Compound E ect/Use

Stimulates cell division and elongation, breaks

Gibberellic acid (GA)
dormancy, speeds germination

Ripening agent; stimulates leaf and fruit

Ethylene gas (CH2)
abscission

Stimulates apical dominance, rooting, and leaf

Indoleacetic acid (IAA)
abscission

Indolebutyric acid (IBA) Stimulates root growth

Naphthalene acetic Stimulates root growth, slows respiration (used

acid (NAA) as a dip on holly)

Growth retardants
Prevent stem elongation in selected crops (e.g.,
(Alar, B-9, Cycocel,
chrysanthemums, poinsettias, and lilies)
Arest)

Distorts plant growth; selective and nonselective

Herbicides (2,4-D, etc.)
materials used for killing unwanted plants

Plant growth regulators may be synthetic compounds, such as IBA and

Cycocel, that mimic naturally occurring plant hormones, or they may be
natural hormones that were extracted from plant tissue, such as IAA.

Applied concentrations of these substances

These growth- usually are measured in parts per million
regulating substances (ppm) and in some cases parts per billion
most often are applied (ppb). These growth-regulating substances
as a spray to foliage or most often are applied as a spray to foliage
as a liquid drench to or as a liquid drench to the soil around a
the soil around a plant's base. Generally, their e ects are
plant's base. short-lived, and they may need to be
reapplied in order to achieve the desired
e ect.

5 groups of plant-growth-regulating compounds

There are ve groups of plant-growth-regulating compounds: auxin,
gibberellin (GA), cytokinin, ethylene, and abscisic acid (ABA). For the most
part, each group contains both naturally occurring hormones and synthetic
substances.

Auxin

Auxin causes several responses in plants:

Bending toward a light source (phototropism).

Downward root growth in response to gravity (geotropism).
Promotion of apical dominance (the tendency of an apical bud to
produce hormones that suppress the growth of the buds below it on
the stem).
Flower formation.
Fruit set and growth.
Formation of adventitious roots.

Auxin is the active ingredient in most rooting compounds in which cuttings

are dipped during vegetative propagation.

Gibberellins

Gibberellins stimulate cell division and elongation, break seed dormancy,

and speed germination. The seeds of some species are di cult to
germinate; you can soak them in a GA solution to get them started.

Cytokinins

Unlike other hormones, cytokinins are found in both plants and animals.

They stimulate cell division and often are included in the sterile media used
for growing plants from tissue culture. If a medium's mix of growth-
regulating compounds is high in cytokinins and low in auxin, the tissue
culture explant (small plant part) will produce numerous shoots. On the
other hand, if the mix has a high ratio of auxin to cytokinin, the explant will
produce more roots. Cytokinins also are used to delay aging and death
(senescence).

Ethylene 

Ethylene is unique in that it is found only in the gaseous form. It induces

ripening, causes leaves to droop (epinasty) and drop (abscission), and
promotes senescence. Plants often increase ethylene production in
response to stress, and ethylene often is found in high concentrations within
cells at the end of a plant's life. The increased ethylene in leaf tissue in the
fall is part of the reason leaves fall o trees. Ethylene also is used to ripen
fruit (e.g., green bananas).

Abscisic acid

Abscisic acid (ABA) is a general plant-growth inhibitor. It induces dormancy

and prevents seeds from germinating; causes abscission of leaves, fruits,
and owers; and causes stomata to close. High concentrations of ABA in
guard cells during periods of drought stress probably play a role in stomatal
closure.

Previously titled Plant hormones and growth regulators

This piece is part of the collection Botany Basics

Was this page helpful?

Yes No

Related Content from OSU Extension

EESC Photos (Cropped from original)
Are my old garden seed still
usable?
← How long are old garden
vegetable seeds still usable?
Packed for "--" season?
Larina Ho beck | Mar 2021 | FEATURED
QUESTION
Photo by Michele Scheib (Cropped from Photo: A. Detweiler (Cropped from original)
original)
Central Oregon Garden
Building a landscape retaining Publications
wall
These publications are
→
Retaining walls are popular
applicable to gardening in the
features in commercial and
High Desert region of Central
home landscaping projects. They
Oregon.
can be self-installed, making
them very cost e cient. The Jul 2018 | COLLECTION
following is a do-it-yourself guide
to installing a retaining wall
using a designed block system.

Jun 2018 | ARTICLE

• • • • • •

Have a Question? Ask an Expert!

Ask an Expert is a way for you to get answers from the Oregon State
University Extension Service. We have experts in family and health,
community development, food and agriculture, coastal issues, forestry,
programs for young people, and gardening.

Ask Us a Question

Enter keywords to search... Search

Contact us
Ask an expert
Find your county Extension o ce Home
Report a website issue
Topics
How to use this website
Get involved

About

OSU Extension Catalog

Our impact
News

For employees
Log in

OSU Extension is part of the division of Extension and Engagement .

Copyright  © 1995-2021 Oregon State University  | Web disclaimer/privacy   |  Equal opportunity/accessibility