Commercial Uses of Plant Hormones

Key Plant Hormones

Auxin is a type of growth hormone that stimulates plant growth in several ways:

Tissue Culture
- Auxin is added to a growth medium to stimulate growth.
- Used to grow plant clones.
Rooting Powder
- Cutting sections of a plant, such as the end of a branch with leaves, do not naturally grow when planted.
- Application of rooting powder, which contains auxin, induces root production and growth.
Weed Killer
- Auxins, when applied in high concentrations, can disrupt plant growth patterns, leading to the death of the plant.
- Selective weed killers target broad-leaved weeds, sparing narrow-leaved commercial plants like cereals.

Gibberellin has three primary uses that aid in plant growth and agricultural productivity:

Controlling Dormancy
- Seeds typically remain dormant until conditions such as warmth, oxygen, and water are sufficient.
- Gibberellin can break dormancy, inducing germination at non-traditional times for multiple crop cycles per year.
Inducing Flowering
- Normally requires specific conditions.
- Gibberellin can induce flowering on demand and increase flower size and quantity.
Growing Larger Fruit
- Particularly effective with seedless varieties which do not naturally grow large.
- Gibberellin ensures these fruits reach larger sizes.

Ethylene is crucial for regulating fruit ripening:

Stimulating Ripening
- Controls the ripening process to align with market demands.
- Fruits are picked unripe and shipped globally.
- Upon arrival, they are exposed to ethylene to ripen them for sale.
Transportation
- Ethylene production is naturally blocked during transportation to prevent premature ripening.

This summary highlights the commercial applications of key plant hormones that enhance growth, control, and productivity in agricultural practices.