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Downloaded by UNIV OF MISSOURI COLUMBIA on April 30, 2013 | http://pubs.acs.org Publication Date: September 27, 1979 | doi: 10.1021/bk-1979-0111.ch007
Natural Products in Plant Growth Regulation N. BHUSHAN MANDAVA U.S. Department of Agriculture, Science and Education Administration, Agricultural Research, Beltsville Agricultural Research Center, Plant Physiology Institute, Plant Hormone and Regulators Laboratory, Beltsville, MD 20705
The literature documents several hundred plant products that appear to exhibit growth-regulating activity. Naturally occurring plant growth substances can be broadly categorized into two types. The first type includes growth substances such as auxins, gibberellins, cytokinins, the inhibitor abscisic acid (ABA) and ethylene. These are commonly referred to as plant hormones. They appear to be present in very minute quantities in a l l plant species, particularly in higher plants whose growth and development are controlled by these hormones. The second group of natural products, commonly referred to as secondary plant growth substances, about which we are concerned in this article, includes compounds such as phenols, aliphatic and aromatic carboxylic acids and their derivatives, steroids, terpenoids, amino acids, and lipids. Some of these compounds are produced by plants in abundant quantities, but lack growth specificity; others are present in minute quantities, but show high specificity. Based on this information, natural products produced by animals, plants, fungi, and bacteria may broadly be categorized into: (I) those compounds that are widely distributed and are present in abundance but lack specificity. Examples in this category are phenolic compounds (including coumarins and flavonoids), lipids and amino acids (including polypeptides). (II) those compounds that have limited distribution (sometimes, species-specific) and are produced in small quantities, but with some specific activity. Examples are simple unsaturated lactones, terpenoids, steroids, and alkaloids. Although there is a clear distinction between the two categories, this conventional approach was avoided in this review. A novel approach followed here that will Hake into account both categories (specific and nonspecific growth substances) is based on their biosynthetic origin. According to Robinson ( 1 ) , Whittaker and R i c e (3), a great m a j o r i t y of secondary p l a n t synthesized from acetate and s h i k i m i c a c i d as which describes the formation of 15 groups of
Feany (2), and products are b i o shown i n F i g u r é 1, n a t u r a l products.
This chapter not subject to U.S. copyright. Published 1979 American Chemical Society
In Plant Growth Substances; Mandava, N.; ACS Symposium Series; American Chemical Society: Washington, DC, 1979.
In Plant Growth Substances; Mandava, N.; ACS Symposium Series; American Chemical Society: Washington, DC, 1979.
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