Amidst the growing interest in soil health and soil-plant interactions is a fledgling collective of newer concepts and products, from biologicals to nanotechnology to genetic editing …. Somewhere in that group, plant growth regulators (PGRs) — also known as plant hormones — are beginning to test the market, looking for cost-efficient means of pushing yields to new limits.
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Without the primary five hormones present and functioning in plants, there could be no corn, wheat, soybeans or any other crop. Auxins, gibberellins, cytokinins, ethylene and abscisic acid are vital components in plant production ….
Research into the use of gibberellins is …. trying to determine the optimum timing for supplementary and external applications … Other research is trying to determine its viability as a seed treatment.
For Valent BioSciences scientists Regina Rieckenberg and Peter Petracek, the development of gibberellins for field crops, particularly in corn, is something that will happen. It’s no longer just a “might.” …. The challenge now is to develop practical, cost-effective products.
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“Most of the time, we can see with the application of [gibberellins] on to the corn, we do get an increase in growth …. Larger plants mean more biomass, and potentially, faster plant establishment, better root and shoot growth …. with potentially better drought tolerance as well.
Read full, original article: Higher corn yields on the way
