Synthetic Growth Regulators: Potential for Development

Abstract

A significant increase in the commercial use of growth regulators and many approaches to developing new uses of these chemical can be anticipated. Models for promoting growth regulator technology include analysis of individual crops to select specific goals, analysis of hormonal roles and physiology to identify opportunities and improvements in the empirical testing approach. Examples for the models are the crop, cotton and the hormone regulator, ethylene. The lag in the development of growth regulators behind that of other types of agricultural chemicals is both natural and fortuitous. Until major yield-limiting requirements and pests were under some degree of managerial control, the advantage of being able to manipulate growth and development chemically was marginal. Agriculturists are trying to minimize the use of pesticides and fossil fuels, so growth regulator technology can be developed in harmony with these important goals. Growth regulators appear to have a growing role in integrated pest management which would appear to be part of a larger system of integrated plant growth management.