Promotion of Growth and Flowering and Increase in Content of Endogenous Gibberellins in Gladiolus Plants Treated with the Growth Retardant CCC

Application of the growth retardant CCC to gladiolus plants resulted in stimulation of stem lenth, increased number of flowers per spike and a slight advancement of anthesis date. Leaves of treated plants were heavier than control and contained a higher amount of water and chlorophyll. The anthocyanin content in petals was also greatly increased. CCC had little or no effect on the content of the endogenous gibberellins in the acidic ethyl acetate fraction, but markedly increased the content of the native gibberellins in the aqueous fraction. The mode of action of CCC in plants is discussed on the basis of these results and a review of the literature.