ISHS Acta Horticulturae 179: V International Symposium on Growth Regulators in Fruit Production
A TREE PHYSIOLOGIST'S VIEW OF GROWTH REGULATORS |
| Author: | D.L. Abbott |
| Abstract:
The annual cycle of the apple tree is outlined to argue that initiation of growth, cessation of growth and phase change, for example, should more properly be regarded as manifestations of the nutritional status. Hormones, through their ability to mobilise metabolites and organise vascular tissue, may do little more than ensure a supply of nutrients to the sites of utilisation in an autocatalytic manner. The importance of nutrition is so obvious that it is, perhaps, too much taken for granted, and the interaction between hormones and nutrients remains insufficiently studied. The tendency to explain plant behaviour solely in terms of plant growth substances, whether natural or applied, may only obscure the true mechanisms involved and confuse our attempts to modify them. | |
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