| Abstract: | Hypocotyl elongation under white fluorescent light was aboutdoubled in dwarf watermelon (Citrullus lanatus0 (Thunb.) Matsu.and Nakai) seedlings treated with 0.1 to 0.3 µg apicaland 3 x 10–6 to 10.3 M root applications of 6-benzyladenine(BA). BA-enhancement of growth occurred primarily during thefirst 48 h after treatment. Increased hypocotyl length in BA-treatedseedlings was attributed more to longer cells than to an increasein cell number. Early hypocotyl growth of normal seedlings wasalso significantly enhanced by BA although final hypocotyl lengthwas not substantially affected. Benzyladenine caused expansion of cotyledons and, at higherdoses, lateral expansion of hypocotyls. BA-induced increasesin fresh weight of cotyledons and hypocotyls were accompaniedby an increase in dry weight of hypocotyls at the expense ofroots which had less dry matter than untreated seedlings. |
