3 Biology -- Plant Hormones

Write the physiological effects of gibberellins in plant growth.

Write the physiological effects of gibberellins in plant growth.

Physiological effects of gibberellins are:- 

1. Elongation of intact stems:

Many plants respond to application of GA by a marked increase in stem length; the effect is primarily one of internode elongation.

2. Dwarf shoots:

Besides general increase in stem length, gibberellins specifically induce inter­nodal growth in some genetically dwarf varieties of plants like Pea and Maize. It appears that dwarf- ness of such varieties is due to internal deficiency of gibberellins.

3. Bolting:

Gibberellins induce sub-apical meristem to develop faster. This causes elongation of reduced stem or bolting in case of rosette plants (e.g., Henbane, Cabbage) and root crops (e.g., Radish).

4. Dormancy:

Gibberellins overcome the natural dormancy of buds, tubers, seeds etc., and allow them to grow. In this function they are antagonistic to abscisic acid (ABA).

5. Seed Germination:

During seed germination, especially of cereals, gibberellins stimulate the production of some messenger RNAs and then hydrolytic enzymes like amylases, lipases and pro­
teases. The enzymes solubilise the reserve food of the seed. The same is transferred to embryo axis for its growth.

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