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Hormonal Regulation of Cell Elongation in the Hypocotyl of Rootless Soybean: An Evaluation of the Role of DNA Synthesis ^1,2

^a Department of Botany and Plant Pathology, Purdue University, Lafayette, Indians 47907

A method was developed where soybean seedlings were grown without roots to study the influence of hormones of root origin on shoot growth. Excision of the root resulted in inhibition of apical section growth and DNA synthesis and inhibited elongating section growth. A synthetic cytokinin restored DNA synthesis in the apical section, but did not influence growth in either the apical or elongating sections. Low concentrations of gibberellin with the cytokinin restored growth in the apical section. Gibberellin alone was sufficient to restore growth in the elongating section.

An inhibitor of DNA synthesis, 5-fluorodeoxyuridine, inhibited the increase in apical section DNA without inhibiting control or gibberellin-induced growth in the elongating section. Experiments with ¹⁴C-thymidine resulted in no DNA labeling differences in the elongating section under conditions where gibberellin-induced elongation varied from 50% to 73% above controls. It was concluded that gibberellin-induced elongation in soybean hypocotyl occurred in the absence of DNA synthesis. Gibberellin does stimulate DNA synthesis in the apical tissue apart from its effect on cell elongation.

Excised soybean hypocotyl elongated maximally at 10^–6M auxin. At higher auxin concentrations, fresh weight and ethylene production increased, but elongation was reduced. Addition of GA to the higher auxin concentrations resulted in a 50% inhibition in auxin-induced ethylene production and resumption in maximal elongation. Added ethylene inhibited elongation 30% at 2 µl/l. Addition of up to 100 µl/l ethylene did not inhibit elongation with GA present in the incubation medium. Thus GA may counteract ehtylene inhibition of cell elongation in addition to inhibiting ethylene production in auxin-treated tissues.

⁴ Present address: Department of Botany, University of Georgia, Athens, Georgia.

¹ Research supported by NIH grant, formerly GM 10157, now CA 10932.

² Purdue University AES Journal Paper No. 3724.