Evidence for Substances in Higher Plants Interfering with Response of Dwarf Peas to Gibberellin

Abstract

Immature limabean (Phaseolus lunatus) seeds contain substances which reduce the gibberellin response of dwarf peas while they have no effect on the growth of the latter in absence of gibberellin. Similar substances occur in pea seedlings and hemp plants. The substances can be extracted with methanol and partitioned into chloroform or ethyl acetate at PH 5-7. In peas and hemp, an inverse relation was found between growth rates, as determined by the genotype of the plants and environmental conditions, and the amounts of the inhibitors extractable from the plants. The possible significance of these inhibitors in growth regulation is discus sed.