biologia plantarum

Biologia plantarum 29:123-128, 1987 | DOI: 10.1007/BF02878164

The effect of indol-3-yllactic acid on maize seedling growth

Eva ZelenÁ¹

¹ Institute of Experimental Botany, Czechoslovak Academy of Sciences, Praha 6, Czechoslovakia

D,L-indol-3-yllactie acid was applied at concentrations 0.2 - 20 mg 1^-1 (10^-6-10^-4M) to the roots of 3-d-old intact maize seedlings grown in the dark and in the light. By day 3 after application, ILA at lower concentrations (0.2-1 mg l^-1) caused slight increase in the mass of etiolated plants, mainly roots. Shoot and root length was not increased. ILA at concentrations equal to, or greater than, 2 mg 1^-1 reduced the length of the main roots and from 10 mg 1^-1 on also the length of the shoots. In contrast, root mass was decreased by higher ILA concentrations to a lesser extent than shoot mass. The response to ILA application of etiolated seedlings differed from that of the seedlings grown in the light only at 20 mg 1^-1. The inhibitory effect was more pronounced in the case of quickly growing etiolated plants.

Received: October 21, 1985; Accepted: July 15, 1986; Published: March 1, 1987  Show citation