Abstract

Summary Ethrel inhibits the apical growth of cucumber seedlings and provokes abnormal morphological alterations. These growth disorders are correlated with the changes in IAA metabolism taking place on the effect of ethrel. In the hypocotyls and roots treated with ethrel the amount of IAA, IAAsp and IAGlu is increasing to a great extent. In contrast to the control, in the hypocotyls treated with ethrel only a small proportion of the total free IAA is distributed in the relatively thinner apical part and a large proportion is present in the swollen basal part. On the effect of ethrel the amounts of IAAsp and IAGlu are decreasing i.e. the binding of IAA into conjugates is of a smaller extent in the lower hypertrophic part of the stem. In the seedlings with 2,4-D a similar growth inhibition and morphological abnormalities can be obtained as with ethrel of higher concentration. Thus the growth disorders caused by ethrel can be ascribed to the abnormally increased auxin concentration.

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