DEPARTMENT OF BIOLOGICAL SCIENCE

DEVELOPMENTAL BIOLOGY

LAB REPORT WRITING

NAME; Martin
SURNAME: Motshegwe
STUDENT ID: 202000350
DATE: 15 MARCH 2023

PRACTICAL 2: SOME ASPECTS OF HORMONAL CONTROL OF PLANT GROWTH

AND DEVELOPMENT
THE EFFECT AND CONTROL OF INDOLE-3-ACETATE ACID HORMONAL AUXIN
ON THE GROWTH AND DEVELOPMENT OF Ipomoea batatas

INTRODUCTION

Phytohormones are plant hormones that naturally occur in small organic molecules or
substances derived from various essential metabolic pathways and are important regulators of
plant growth and mediate responses to both biotic and abiotic stresses and influence
physiological processes in plants at very low concentrations. They play a crucial role in
controlling the way in which plants grow and develop, that is, they are chemicals produced
by plants that regulate their growth, development, reproductive processes, longevity, and
even death (Su., et al,2017). Plant phytohormones are categorized into two groups, Plant
growth Promoters and plant growth inhibitors. Plant Growth Promoters promote cell division,
cell enlargement, flowering, fruiting and seed formation. Examples are auxins, gibberellins
and cytokinins. Plant Growth Inhibitors inhibit growth and promote dormancy and abscission
in plants. According to Buddolla, Plant hormones consists of 5 major classes being ethylene,
gibberellins, cytokinins, absciscic acid, and auxins. Class Auxins, Gibberellins, and
Cytokinins belong to plant growth promoters as Auxins play a role in cell differentiation, cell
division, and elongation. When the elongation process occurs, the auxin changes plant wall
plasticity so as to make it easier for the plant to grow in an upwards direction. It is produced
in the roots and shoot tips. Indole-3-acetic acid IAA is the main auxin in plants as it plays a
role in regulating plant growth and developmental processes such as cell division and
elongation, tissue differentiation, apical dominance, and responses to light, gravity, and
pathogens (Srivastava, 2008). Roots are most sensitive to fluctuations in IAA level.

Another important hormone in plant development is Gibberellins, Gibberellin induce seed

germination as it breaks the dormancy period of the seed. It is involved in cell division,
elongation, and leads to root growth. Cytokinins promote shoot initiation and growth, leaf
senescence, and apical dominance. It promotes the expansion of the leaf cell as it can help
increase the production of chlorophyll to increase the duration of photosynthesis. The
hormone abscisic acid is involved in plant development inhibitors. The abscisic acid
hormone, which controls plant growth processes like seed dormancy and organ size control,
responds to abiotic stresses that a plant may encounter. It functions as a defense mechanism
against pathogens and can be stimulated or suppressed based on the type of attack and the
desired response. The gaseous hormone ethylene is a significant regulator of stress responses
and is essential for the growth and development of plants. By limiting cell elongation,
primarily through crosstalk with auxins, it prevents vegetative development. The aim of the
experiment was to determine how hormones regulate plant growth and development under
different media treatments and how desiccation of a part of the plant affects plant
development under the same different media treatments and the objective was to decapitate a
few parts off the young and healthy branches (shoot and root tips) and placing them under
different media for different types of treatments. The null hypothesis was predicted that the
plants with the leaves and plain media would develop new organs, while the alternative
hypothesis was that the plant without the leaves and with IAA would not develop any new
organs.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Four young and healthy branches were picked and examined for the number of leaves, roots,
shoots and other interesting features that they posses. 4 Specimen bottles were then filled
with different medium (two with 0.1mg/l of IAA and two with plane media). One of the four
young plant branches was placed in plane media and labelled T1 for Treatment 1. Another
plant of the remaining 3 young plant branches was decapitated by removing the shoot tips
using an experimental leaf blade and then placed in another specimen bottles containing
plane media and labelled T2. Of the remaining two young plant branches, one was picked and
placed in a specimen bottle containing 0.1mg/L of IAA and labelled T3 and The remaining
young branch was decapitated and placed in the last specimen bottle containing 0.1mg/l of
IAA and labelled T4. The intact young plant branches were serving as the control. All bottle
openings were then covered with transparent plastic with a designated hole for the plant
branch to pass through and the bottles were then placed on the windowsills of the laboratory
room were they could be exposed to light. The experiment was conducted for 3 weeks whilst
every 3 days observing and noting down the development of shoots, leaves, roots, and petiole
abscissions, yellowing of leaves and any other interesting developing features worth noting
down. More media was added when specimen bottles went low due to evaporation.
RESULTS AND ANALYSIS

Results of the treatments were recorded in tabular form, and two graphs were formed from
the analysis.

Tratment Treatment Treatment Treatment

1(normal shoot 2(normal shoot 3(decapitated 4(decapitated
in water) in IAA solution) shoot in water)
shoot in IAA
solution)
Initial One leaf present One leaf present One leaf present One leaf present
characteristics Shoot leaf is Shoot leaf is Shoot leaf is Shoot leaf is
green green green green
No roots No roots No roots No roots
Final No leaf present One leaf present No leaf present No leaf present
characteristics
after 3 weeks

initial initial initial initia Treatme Treatm Treatme Treatme

nt 1
l ent 2 nt 3 nt 4

Number roots - - - - 14 6 12 15
Length of roots - - - - 178mm 142.5m 162.5m 74mm
m m
Length of shoot 108m 110m 122m 134.5 286mm 252.5m 236mm 208.5m
m m m mm m m
DISCUSSION

Auxin is primarily produced in the tips of the plants, and the removal of shoots in Treatment
2 & 4 helps us understand Apical Dominance. Ersek, (2016), mentioned that auxins are
produced naturally by plants and are found in the shoot and root tips which promote cell
division, stem and root growth. Apical dominance is a term used to describe the mechanism
by which the apex of a shoot inhibits the outgrowth of secondary, or lateral, shoots and is best
demonstrated via decapitation (i.e. shoot tip removal), which leads to the development of
lateral shoots (Ferguson, 2017). Lateral shoots do not randomly materialize, but rather
emerge from tiny buds that are located along the main stem in the axis of the leaves.
Treatment 4 and Treatment 2 show many lateral short roots emerging from the plant branch’s
buds that were submerged under the media. Lateral roots are produced when cells in the
pericycle, the layer of cells surrounding the central vascular cylinder, begin to divide, form
additional cell layers that push through the outer cell layers of the primary root, and
ultimately organize a second root meristem (Hobbie, 2008). Increasing the auxin
concentration in roots causes increased lateral root formation; hence why there is many
lateral roots found in Treatment 4 that was submerged in the 0.1 mg/L of IAA media. The
continuous development of roots is supported by a sustainable system for cell production and
growth at the root tip (Srivastava, 2008).

Auxin (IAA) is transported down to the root tip from the shoot in the vascular cylinder. Here
it is redistributed to the root cortex and epidermis and transported back up the root to the
elongation zone, where it regulates the rate of cell elongation. Thus explains the elongation of
roots that occur in the treatment of young plants that still had the shoot tips (Treatment 1 &
3). Treatment 1 observations show that there was formation of leaves whilst Treatment 2 and
Treatment 3 show a loss of leaves leaving Treatment 4 the only plant shoot with no changes
regarding leaves. The treatments with the decapitation (removal of shoot tips) show similar
results. These results involve the loss of leaves, shorter roots, and shoots than their counter
control treatments (treatment 2 has shorter roots and shoots than Treatment 1). However,
Treatment 4 (decapitation plant in IAA media) shows more number roots than all the 3 other
treatments.

Failure to check on the plants could have resulted in the water or media evaporating leaving
the plant without fluids consequently causing the dying of the plant leaves. That could result
in errors being obtained as the number of leaves present.

CONCLUSION

The hormone Indole-3-acetate auxin plays a huge role in the formation of lateral roots as
lateral roots were observed in all Treatments even though some were stripped off its source of
IAA (shoot tip). Moreover, decapitation (removal of shoot tips) also influences the formation
of lateral roots.
REFERENCE

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