Plant World

Plant Structure and Function

What are some commercial uses of plant hormones?

Plant hormones are used in a variety of applications to control some aspect of plant development. Auxins are used in commercial herbicides as weed killers. Another use of auxins is to stimulate root formation. It is often referred to as the “rooting hormone” and applied to cuttings prior to planting. Some hormones are used to increase fruit production and prevent preharvest fruit drop. Gibberellins are sprayed on Thompson seedless grapes during the flowering stage to thin the flowers on each cluster, thus allowing the remaining flowers to spread out and develop larger fruit. Gibberellins are also used to enhance germination and stimulate the early emergence of seedlings in grapes, citrus fruits, apples, peaches, and cherries. When used on cucumber plants, gibberellins promote the formation of male flowers, which is useful in the production of hybrid seeds.



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