Plant Hormones
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Plant tropisms
• Growth in a particular direction in response to
an external stimulus
Response to gravity is
called gravitropism
To light is phototropism
To touch is
thigmotropism
Responses may be
positive or negative
Early experiments
Canary grass coleoptiles
Classes Hormones
• Five classes are identified
o Auxins
o Gibberellins
o Cytokinins
o Ethylene
o Abscisic Acid
Auxin
• Primary form is Indole acetic acid (IAA)
• Photo-, Gravi-, and Thigmotropisms come
about in large part due to auxin effects
• Regulate growth primarily by promoting cell
elongation with some differentiation.
Auxin production and transport
• Produced in shoot apical tips, leaves,
& seeds
• Moves from tip to base
• Moves primarily through
parenchyma cells surrounding
vascular tissue
Fritz Went
Experiments
Phototropism mechanism
Auxin Mechanism
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• IAA stimulates H+ pumps in the cell membrane.
• H+ pumps secrete H+ into the cell wall, decreasing its pH.
• This acidifies the cell wall which activates pH-dependent enzymes and breaks
bonds between cellulose microfibrils.
• The wall "loosens" because of the broken bonds and the turgor pressure
expands the cell.
Gravitropism
• Root & shoot differential
growth in response to
gravity
• Auxin in higher amounts
on “lower” side of organ
• Roots: negative response
• Root more sensitive to
auxin - inhibits
elongation
Organ Response to Hormone
Gravity sensing mechanism
• Root cap cells contain
amyloplasts (statoliths)
containing starch grains
• Density causes
movement through
cytoplasm to lower part
of cell
Statoliths at bottom
of cells of pea root
Control
Apical dominance
• Auxin production &
transport from tip inhibits
lateral bud growth
• Pinching the tip releases
buds for growth
• The actual mechanism is
not simplistic: IAA may One week
Two weeks
induce ethylene production
which inhibits lateral bud
growth. Cytokinins which
move apically may
actually be of greater
importance.
Leaf senescence
Senescence
• Shorter days of fall, drought, or the lack of
nutrients cause lower auxin production
• A "senescence factor" stimulates cells to
form ethylene which produces cellulase
(an enzyme that breaks down cellulose)
and pectinase.
• Middle lamella is digested causing cells to
separate causing abscission.
• Ratio of auxin to cytokinin may play a role.
Other effects of auxin
• Stimulates development of fruit
• Can stimulate lateral root formation
• May stimulate adventitious root
formation in stems
Gibberellins
• Translocated in xylem & pholem
• Formed in young leaves, apical tips, embryo
• Effects
o Bolting
Can overcome dwarfing in some plants
o Stimulates flowering in some plants
o Affects fruit development
o Stimulates germination of seeds
Difference: Auxin & Gibberellin
• Gibberellin controls elongation in the mature
regions of trees and shrubs
o auxin regulates elongation in grass seedlings and
herbs.
• Gibberellin stimulates cell division and elongation
o auxin stimulates only cellular elongation.
• Plants can tolerate high levels of gibberellin but
not of auxin.
• Gibberellin has little effect on roots
o auxin has more of an effect on roots.
Gibberellin example
• Effect on cabbage
• Treated once/week for
2 months
• Evidence that cabbage
comes from a tall,
spindly ancestor
Dwarf Pea
Control Gibberillin added
Cytokinins
• Formed in roots
• Translocated upward in xylem
• Effects
o Stimulates cell division
o Shoot & root differentiation
o Stimulates growth of lateral buds & leaf expansion
o Chloroplast development
o Delays leaf senescence
• Often the auxin/cytokinin ratio is important
Abscisic acid
• Seed maturation & stomatal function
• May aid onset of seed dormancy
• Transported from leaves in phloem
• “Stress hormone” - effects help protect plant
from unfavorable conditions
• Levels increase in response to cold, drought,
and high salt levels
Ethylene
• Gas - diffuses through tissues
• Stimulates abscission and fruit ripening
• Used in commercial ripening for bananas &
green picked fruit
• Involved in leaf abscission & flower
senescence
• Primarily synthesized in response to stress
Photoperiodism classes
• Response of plants to Long day
length of day is called
photoperiodism Short day
• Flowering is a
photoperiodism Day neutral
response
Long-short
or short-long
Intermediate
day
Florigen - hypothetical hormone
Proposed to regulate the initiation of flowering
Critical Periods
• Long-day plants: flowers when night length is
less than critical period
o Flower in spring & early summer when days grow
long
• Short-day plants: flowers when uninterrupted
darkness is longer than critical period
o Chrysanthemum: more than 10-12 hrs. light keeps
them from flowering
Long day plants
Short day plants
Radish Potato
Other “day” classes
• Day-neutral plants
o tend to flower independent of day length
• Long-short or short-long
o a proper sequence is needed for flowering to begin
• Intermediate-day plants
o two critical periods - day length must be between
them
Timing Mechanism?
Phytochrome
Dark etiolation
Florigen - the trigger?
• Florigen has been proposed as the
hormone that triggers flowering
• No hormone has ever been isolated
• Critical period inductions given to one
part of the plant can trigger flowering in
another part.
o illumination of a leaf on a plant for the
proper photoperiod can start flowering
Grafting experiments
• One plant given
proper period
(short day)
• Flowering
begins
Graft
• Later flowering union
starts in other
plant
• See Fig. 35.14
Light tight barrier
Phytochrome system
• Plants can sense light both in quantity and quality
• Plants respond to changes in light quality with
different types of growth
• Much of the sensing seems to come in the red part of
the spectrum
• Red light (~660 nm) and far red light (>700 nm) can
be differentiated
• The pigment system responsible is called the
phytochrome system
Summary
• Critical
lengths can
vary from
species to
species
