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Article: Hormones' effect on plant growth. (auxin and cytokinin)
- Article from:
- USA TODAY
- Article date:
- June 1, 1994
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 1994 Society for the Advancement of Education. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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Biochemists at the University of Missouri-Columbia are studying the plant hormones cytokinin and auxin and the genes that switch hormone production on and off at different times and places within the plant. They are seeking to understand the transcription mechanism by which plants express their genes. This, in turn, determines how auxin and cytokinin regulate plant growth and development.
Roy Morris uses intravenous needles to inject hormones into corn. He places cytokinin just below the ear at a critical period of growth, soon after pollen is released. This keeps it growing actively for longer and increases seed numbers by 30%. Grain high in cytokinin upgrades ...