Growth Hormone Changes in Chrysanthemum morifolium: Effects of Environmental Factors Controlling Flowering

Simultaneous quantitative analyses have been made of the endogenouslevels of auxin- and gibberellin like substances, growth inhibitors,and auxin-oxidizing enzyme activity in the cold-requiring Chrysanthemummorifolium cv. Sunbeam subjected to different daylength, lightintensity and temperature regimes known to affect flowering.While little hormone or enzyme activity was found in extractsfrom unvernalized plants, a striking rise in auxin-oxidizingenzyme activity occurred rapidly after the end of cold treatment.Increased auxin activity was also recorded shortly after vernalization.At 28 °C both enzyme and auxin activity declined over aperiod of 3–4 weeks; at 20 °C this response was delayed.Gibberellin activity at 28 °C rose steeply about 2 weeksfrom vernalization and declined several weeks later; at 20 °Ca similar response was less marked. Low light intensity treatment,which may have increased endogenous auxin levels, or exogenousauxin application reduced gibberellin-like substance levelsand cause d devernalization.Phosphon D treatment also loweredgibberellin levels and prevented flowering. An extract fromvernalized plants containing gibberellin-like substances intensifiedthe flowering of partially vernalized test plants. Persistenceof high auxin activity in vernalized plants on long days wasassociated with failure to form normal flower buds. Stem elongationrates correlated in general with levels of endogenous auxin-and gibberellin-like substances. Significant amounts of an abscisin-likeinhibitor were found in extracts of flower buds. The mechanismof natural devernalization is discussed in relation to theseobservations.