Indolyl-3-acetic Acid from the Developing Banana Fruit

Abstract

THE endogenous auxin of the banana fruit has never been investigated. Only Steward and Simmonds1 and Khalifah2 have published reports of work on the natural hormones of bananas. A cell division factor1, presumably a cytokinin, and two gibberellin-like substances2 have been demonstrated in young banana fruit. A role for auxin in the development of parthenocarpic banana fruit was suggested3 after exogenous application of α-naphthyl-acetic acid in an experiment to examine the nature of the auxin in the developing fruit of banana and to identify it.