Leaf expansion in Phaseolus: transient auxin-induced growth increase

Control of leaf expansion by auxin is not well understood. Evidence from short-term exogenous applications and from treatment of excised tissues suggests auxin positively influences growth. Manipulations of endogenous leaf auxin content, however, suggest that long-term auxin suppresses leaf expansion. This study attempts to clarify the growth effects of auxin on unifoliate (primary) leaves of the common bean ( Phaseolus vulgaris ) by reexamining the response to auxin treatment of both excised leaf strips and attached leaves. Leaf strips, incubated in culture conditions that promoted steady elongation for up to 48 h, treated with 10 μ M α-naphthalene acetic acid (NAA) responded with an initial surge of elongation growth complete within 10 h, followed by insensitivity. A range of NAA concentrations from 0.1 to 300 μ M induced increased strip elongation after 24 and 48 h. Increased elongation and epinastic curvature of leaf strips was found specific to active auxins. Expanding attached unifoliates treated once with aqueous auxin NAA at 1.0 m M showed both an initial surge in growth lasting 4–6 h followed by growth inhibition sustained at least as long as 24 h post-treatment. Auxin-induced inhibition of leaf expansion was associated with smaller epidermal cell area. Together, the results suggest increasing leaf auxin first increases growth and then slows growth through inhibition of cell expansion. Excised leaf strips retain only the initial increased growth response to auxin and not the subsequent growth inhibition, either as a consequence of wounding or as a consequence of isolation from the plant.