Plant hormones - commercial uses

Question 1

What are the uses of auxins?

Answer 1

• Stimulate growth in plants
• Used in tissue culture to grow plant clones
• Used in rooting powder to stimulate cuttings to grow
• Used in weed killers

Question 2

How do auxins work in weed killers?

Answer 2

• Over-exposure to auxins can cause too much growth in a plant. This disrupts the natural growth pattern of the plant and causes it to die
• Selective weed killers are developed that only attack broad-leafed plants (weeds)

Question 3

What are the uses of gebberellin?

Answer 3

• Induce germination (allow more crops in a year)
• Induce flowering (would normally require specific conditions)
• Grow larger fruits

Question 4

What are the uses of ethene?

Answer 4

• Stimulate ripening of fruit (plants produce natural ethene)
• Ethene stumlates a growth enzyme

Question 5

How is ethene used in the transportation of fruits?

Answer 5

• Fruits are picked unripe and hard, therefore they cannot be damaged during transportation
• The effects of the naturally produced ethene are blocked during transportation. The fruits are then exposed to ethene at the destination so they ripen at the perfect time