Frederick M. Fishel
2
This publication provides the meaning and definition of the term, "plant growth regulator," addresses patterns of use for plant growth regulators, and provides a listing of plant growth regulators registered for use in Florida.
Table 1, below, lists these classes with the plant development function(s) that are controlled by the plant growth regulators.
Table 1 also provides examples of the practical uses with which plant growth regulators are typically associated.
Table 2 provides Florida-specific information on plant growth regulators registered by the FDACS. This table also includes major commodities in the United States that are associated with plant growth regulators and the primary function(s) of plant growth regulators and includes examples of trade names for plant growth regulators registered for use in Florida.
Table 1.
Plant growth regulator class, associated function(s) and practical uses.
Class
Function(s)
Practical uses
Table 1.
Plant growth regulator class, associated function(s) and practical uses.
Class
Function(s)
Practical uses
Auxins
Shoot elongation
Thin tree fruit, increase rooting and flower formation
Gibberellins
Stimulate cell division and elongation
Increase stalk length, increase flower and fruit size
Cytokinins
Stimulate cell division
Prolong storage life of flowers and vegetables and stimulate bud initiation and root growth
Ethylene generators
Ripening
Induce uniform ripening in fruit and vegetables
Growth inhibitors
Stops growth
Promote flower production by shortening internodes
Growth retardants
Slows growth
Retard tobacco sucker growth
Table 2.
Plant Growth Regulators Registered for Use in Florida.
Active ingredient
Registered crops and functions
Trade names®
*
Ancymidol
Ornamental plants – growth inhibitor
Abide, A-Rest
Butralin
Tobacco – shoot inhibitor
Butralin
Alcohols
Tobacco – shoot inhibitor
Fair, Royaltac M, Sucker-Plucker, Off-Shoot, Contact-85
Chlormequat chloride
Ornamental flowers – shoot inhibitor
Citadel, Cycocel, E-Pro
Cytokinin#
Ornamental plants, vegetables, fruits including citrus – hasten maturity, enhance fruit color, growth enhancer, enhance tuber color, improve tuber quality
Conklin, Culbac, Cytoplex, Early Harvest, Foli-Zyme, Goldengro, Happygro, Incite, Megagro, Ascend, Radiate, Stimulate, Suppress, Validate, X-Cyte
Daminozide
Ornamental plants – growth inhibitor
B-Nine, Compress, Dazide
Ethephon
Turfgrass – reduces mowing frequency
Various fruits, vegetables, and nuts – hastens ripening and maturity, enhance fruit color and floral stimulant
Cucurbits – increases flowering
Ground covers – inhibits flowering
Ornamental trees – inhibits fruiting
Tobacco and cotton – hastens maturity
Cereal grains and grasses grown for seed – reduces lodging
Boll Buster, BollD, Cerone, Cotton Quik, Ethrel, Finish, Flash, Florel, Mature, MFX, Prep, Proxy, Quali-Pro, SA-50, Setup, Super Boll, Whiteout
Ethylene
Fruits and tobacco – enhance fruit color, hasten ripening
Agronomic row crops – soil treatment for witchweed control
Banana Gas, Nature-Ripe
Flurprimidol
Ornamental woody plants and ground covers – reduces pruning
Turfgrass – reduces mowing frequentcy
Cutless, Legacy, Mastiff, Topflor
Gibberellic acid#
Small fruits, cucurbits – increase fruit set
Citrus – promote rind/peel integrity, prevent fruit drop
Rice, cotton – growth enhancer
Ascend, Cytoplex, Early Harvest, Falgro, Florgib, Foli-Zyme, GA3, GibGro, Green Sol, Incite, N-Large, PGR IV, Pro-Gibb, Release, Rouse, Ryzup, Stimulate
Gibberellin mixtures
Cut flowers – plant preservative
Tree fruit – increase fruit size, hasten maturity, shoot stimulant
Evergreen trees – floral stimulant, stimulate germination
BVB, Chrysal, Fascination, Procone
Indole-3-butyric acid (IBA)#
Ornamental plants and trees – root stimulant
Numerous trade products
Maleic hydrazide, potassium salt
Tobacco – shoot inhibitor
Stored bulbs – sprout inhibitor
Fair, Rite-Hite, Royal, Sucker Stuff,
Mefluidide
Ground covers, shrubs, ornamental trees – reduces pruning
Turfgrass – reduces mowing frequency
Embark, Sta-Lo
Mepiquat chloride
Cotton - growth inhibitor, enhance uniform fruit maturity
Pix
Mepiquat pentaborate
Cotton – growth inhibitor, enhance uniform fruit maturity
Pentia
Naphthalene-acetic acid (NAA)#
Ornamental plants – stimulates rooting, increase vegetative growth
DipN Grow, Goldengro, Hi-Yield
1-Naphthaleneacetamide (NAD)
Woody ornamental cuttings – rooting stimulant
Rootone
n-Decanol
Tobacco – shoot inhibitor
Antac, FST-7, Royaltac
Paclobutrazol
Ornamental flowers – promotes uniform flowering
Ornamental plants – reduces internodal length
Ornamental trees – growth inhibitor
Turfgrass – increased plant thickness, growth inhibitor
Bonzi, Cambistat, Cutdown, Downsize, Florazol, Paclo, Paczol, Piccolo, Profile, Shortstop, Trimmit, Turf Enhancer
Prohexadione calcium
Peanut, Tree fruit, turfgrass grown for seed – growth inhibitor, reduce vegetative growth
Apogee
Trinexapac-ethyl
Turfgrass – reduces mowing frequency
Armor Tech, Goldwing, Governor, Groom, Legacy#, Primeraone, Primo, Provair, Solace, T-Nex, T-Pac
Uniconazole
Ornamental plants – growth inhibitor
Concise, Sumagic
*Consult individual labels for specific sites and commodities approved for use.
1.
This document is PI-102, one of a series of the Agronomy Department, Florida Cooperative Extension Service, Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, University of Florida. Original publication date February 2006. Revised April 2009. Reviewed June 2012. Visit the EDIS website at
http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu.
2.
Frederick M. Fishel, associate professor, Agronomy Department, and director, Pesticide Information Office, Florida Cooperative Extension Service, Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32611.
The use of trade names in this publication is solely for the purpose of providing specific information. UF/IFAS does not guarantee or warranty the products named, and references to them in this publication does not signify our approval to the exclusion of other products of suitable composition.