10/08/2015

MrunalRevision:AgricultureChemistryPlantGrowthRegulators

Mrunalhttp://mrunal.org

[Revision]AgricultureChemistry:MineralNutrition,PlantGrowth
Regulators,Ethylene,Hydroponics,Photoperiodism,Vernalisation
PostedByMrunalOn09/08/2015@8:00pmInScience|NoComments
1. Prologue
2. Plantgrowthregulators(PGRs)
1. Auxins
2. Gibberellins(GA)
3. Cytokinins
4. Ethylene
5. Ethephon
6. Abscisicacid(ABA)
7. Essentialelements
3. MacronutrientsvsMicronutrients
1. ChlorosisvsNecrosis
2. Nitrogen
4. Misc.Terms
1. PHOTOPERIODISM
2. VERNALISATION
3. BiennialPlants
4. Plasticity
5. Hydroponics
5. PossibleMCQs

Prologue
ToprovidelevelplayingfieldtoOnlyIFoSaspirants,UPSChadaskedtoughtechnical
questionsfromenvironmentandagriculturelasttime.ForanordinaryonlyCSEaspirant,the
cost:Benefitnotthatgoodinpursuingthosethings.
However,someofthecontentprovidedinclass1112biologytextbooksinconnectionwith
Botanyandagriculture,couldprovetobeuseful.
So,thisarticlecontainsrevisionnoteoutofBiologyClass11:Chapter12(essentialnutrients)
and15(growthregulators).

Plantgrowthregulators(PGRs)
Growthmeansanirreversiblepermanentincreaseinsizeofanorgan/cell.
water,oxygenandnutrients=>Metabolism(Anabolic/catabolic)=>Growth.
Plantgrowthregulatorsareindolecompoundsandhavetwosubtypes:
1. growthpromoters(auxins,gibberellinsandcytokinins)
2. growthinhibitor(e.g.Absicisacid)
Ethylenefitsineithergroup,butlargelygrowthinhibitor.

Auxins
Auxins(Greekwordtogrow).Chemicallytheyreindole3aceticacid(IAA).
firstisolatedfromhumanurine
AuxinsusedforParthenocarpyintomatoesi.e.thedevelopmentofafruitwithoutfertilization
http://mrunal.org/2015/08/revisionupscagriculturechemistrymineralnutrition.html/print/

1/5

10/08/2015

MrunalRevision:AgricultureChemistryPlantGrowthRegulators

orseeds.
Assertion:Auxinsusedasherbicides.CorrectReason:Theycankilldicotyledonousweeds
withoutharmingmaturemonocotyledonousplants.
Auxinshelptoinitiaterootinginstemcuttingshenceusedforplantpropagation.
Auxinspreventfruitandleaffromdroppingatearlystagesbutpromotetheabscissionofolder
matureleavesandfruits.
Auxinspromotefloweringinpineapples.

Gibberellins(GA)
Gibberellins(1)increaselengthofgrapesstalks(2)TheyelongateandimproveshapeofApples.
Theydelaysenescence,sofruitscanbeleftonthetreelongersoastoextendthemarketperiod.
Inbrewingindustry,GA3isusedtofastenthemaltingprocess
Sugarcanestorescarbohydrateassugarintheirstems.GAspraywillincreasestemslength&
therebyyieldto20tonnesperacre.
GAspraywillhastenmaturityofjuvenileconifersandleadtoearlyseedproduction.
Inbeet,cabbagesGApromotesbolting(internodeelongationjustpriortoflowering).
AllGAsareacidicinNature.

Cytokinins
Theyreproducedininregionswhererapidcelldivisionoccurse.g.rootapices,developing
shootbuds,youngfruitsetc.
Theyproducenewleaves,chloroplastsinleavesandgrowthofshoot.
Theypromotenutrientmobilisationtodelayleafsenescence
Cytokininshelpovercometheapicaldominance.
Apicaldominance:Inmosthigherplants,thegrowingapicalbudinhibitsthegrowthofthe
lateral(axillary)buds.Therefore,inplantations,hedgemakingshoottipsareremoted
(decapitation)tomakelateralbudsgrow.

Ethylene
EthyleneisasimplegaseousPlantgrowthregulators(PGRs)
Itissynthesizedintissuesundergoingsenescenceandripeningfruits
Inleavesandflowers,Ethylenepromotesfollowing
Senescence:processofgrowingolderandshowingtheeffectsofincreasingage
Abscission:Sheddingofflowers,leavesandfruit.
respiratoryclimactic:Ethyleneenhancestherespirationrateduringripeningofthefruits.
Thushelpsinfruitripening.
Ethylenebreaksseedandbuddormancy,peanutseedsgermination,potatotuberssprouting,
Ethylenepromoteselongationindeepwaterriceplantssoleavescanremainabovewater.
Ethylenealsopromotesroothairgrowthtoincreaseabsorptionsurface
Ethyleneisusedtosynchronisefruitsetinpineapplesandfloweringinmango
Sinceethyleneregulatessomanyphysiologicalprocesses,itisoneofthemostwidelyused
PGRinagriculture

Ethephon
http://mrunal.org/2015/08/revisionupscagriculturechemistrymineralnutrition.html/print/

2/5

10/08/2015

MrunalRevision:AgricultureChemistryPlantGrowthRegulators

EthephonismostwidelyusedsourceofEthylene.Itisanaqueoussolutionisreadilyabsorbed
andtransportedwithintheplantandreleasesethyleneslowly.
Ethephonhastensfruitripeningintomatoesandapplesandacceleratesabscissioninflowersand
fruits(thinningofcotton,cherry,walnut).Itpromotesfemaleflowersincucumbersthereby
increasingtheyield.

Abscisicacid(ABA)
Itactsasageneralplantgrowthinhibitor,metabolisminhibitor,seedgerminationinhibitor.
ABAinducesdormancy,helpsseedstowithstanddesiccation.
Assertion:Abscisicacidisalsoknownasstresshormone.CorrectReason:Itincreasesthe
toleranceofplantstovariouskindsofstresses.

Essentialelements
weatheringandbreakdownofrocks=>essentialminerals=>root=>xylemtissue=>plant
Thus,Mostoftheessentialmineralsarederivedfromtherockminerals.Therefore,plant
nutritioniscalledmineralnutrition.
60+elementsfoundindifferentplantsincludinggold,seleniumandevenradioactivestrontium
(ifplantgrowinginnukesite)
So,thequestionishowcanweknowifgivenelementisessentialforplantornot?
Well,Essentialelementshave3characteristics:
Iftheyreabsent,plantwillnotcompleteitslifecycle.
Theyrenotreplaceablebyotherelements.
Theyredirectlyinvolvedinplantmetabolism.
Total17Essentialelementsfurtherdividedintotwogroups:
MacronutrientsvsMicronutrients
Macronutrients
Micronutrients
Presentinplanttissuesinlargeamounts(>10mmoleKg1of
Lessamount/traceelements.
drymatter).
Fromsoil:nitrogen,phosphorous(ATP),sulphur,
potassium(stomataopeningclosing),calciumand
magnesium(Chlorophyll)
Fromair:carbon,hydrogen,oxygen

iron,manganese,copper,
molybdenum,zinc,boron,
chlorineandnickel

Amongabove,carbon,hydrogen,oxygenandnitrogenare
componentsofbiomoleculeshencecalledstructural
elements
Ifnitrogen,potassiumandmagnesiumdeficiency,thenitllbe
firstvisibleinthesenescentleaves.

ChlorosisvsNecrosis
Chlorosis
Necrosis
LeavesturnyellowduetolossofChlorophyll.
Deathofleaftissue
deficiencyofelementsN,K,Mg,S,Fe,Mn,ZnandMo deficiencyofCa,Mg,Cu,K.
http://mrunal.org/2015/08/revisionupscagriculturechemistrymineralnutrition.html/print/

3/5

10/08/2015

MrunalRevision:AgricultureChemistryPlantGrowthRegulators

Nitrogen

Plantsneedthiselementinthegreatestamount,becauseof
Itsroleinmeristematictissuesandthemetabolicallyactivecells.
Nitrogenisoneofthemajorconstituentsofproteins,nucleicacids,vitaminsand
hormones.
Artificial:Industrialcombustions,forestfires,automobileexhaustsandpowergenerating
stations.
Natural:Decompositionoforganicmaterial=>Ammonification=>Nitrogenfixingbacteria
Nitrosomonasand/orNitrococcus=>Nitrite=>oxidationbyNitrobacter.
nitrogenfixingmicrobescouldbefreelivingorsymbiotic.
Azotobacterisafreelivingnitrogenfixingaerobicmicrobes.
Assertion:nitrogenisalimitingnutrientforbothnaturalandagriculturalecosystems.Correct
Reason:Plantscompetewithmicrobesforthelimitednitrogeninthesoil.

Misc.Terms

PHOTOPERIODISM
Plantfloweringdependsoncombinationoflightexposureanditsduration.Thisisknownas
photoperiodism.
Dayneutralplants:Theyhavenocorrelationbetweenexposuretolightdurationandflowering
response.

VERNALISATION
http://mrunal.org/2015/08/revisionupscagriculturechemistrymineralnutrition.html/print/

4/5

10/08/2015

MrunalRevision:AgricultureChemistryPlantGrowthRegulators

Vernalisation:Whenfloweringisdependentonexposuretolowtemperature.ExampleWheat,
barleyandryetheyhavetwovarieties:
Winter
Plantedin
autumn

Spring
normallyplantedinthespringandcometoflowerandproducegrainbeforetheendof
thegrowingseason.
Ifwintervarietyofplantedinspring,theyllfailtoflower/theyllfailtoproduce
maturegrainwithinfloweringseason.

BiennialPlants
Examples:Sugerbeet,cabbages,carrots.
Theynormallyfloweranddieinthesecondseason.
Theyaremonocarpicplantsi.e.Dyingafterbearingfruitonlyonce.

Plasticity
ItmeansPlantsfollowdifferentpathwaysinresponsetoenvironmenttoformdifferentkindsof
structures.Thisabilityiscallede.g.,heterophyllyincotton,corianderandlarkspur.
Insuchplants,juvenileplantsleavesaredifferentinshapethanmatureplants.

Hydroponics
GermanBotanistJuliusvonSachsshowedplantscouldbegrownwithoutsoil,inanutrient
solution.Thistechniqueiscalledhydroponics.
Hydroponicsisusedincommercialcultivationoftomato,seedlesscucumberandlettuce.

PossibleMCQs
1. Whichofthefollowingstatementsarecorrectabout(1)plantgrowthregulators(2)
photoperiodism(3)vernalisation(4)Biennialplants(4)Hydropphonics(5)essentialelements
characteristics(6)Nitrogencycle
2. Whichofthemacronutrientsareavailablefromsoil/air?
3. Whichofthefollowingareexamplesofmicronutrients?
4. HowdoesGibberellinssprayincreasestheyieldinsugarcane?
5. Whichofthefollowingeffectsonflower/fruitsarecausedbyethylene?
6. WhyisAbscisicacidcalledastresshormone?
7. Whichofthefollowingareexamplesofbiennialplants?
8. WhatisParthenocarpy?WhyisAuxinusedinit?
9. DifferencebetweenPlasticityandapicaldominance?
10. Matchthefollowing:plantgrowthregulatorvs.impacts,essentialelementversusitsimportance
ArticleprintedfromMrunal:http://mrunal.org
URLtoarticle:http://mrunal.org/2015/08/revisionupscagriculturechemistrymineral
nutrition.html
Copyright2014Mrunal.Allrightsreserved.

http://mrunal.org/2015/08/revisionupscagriculturechemistrymineralnutrition.html/print/

5/5