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Q.Write a note on agricultural/horticultural applications of auxins.

Telangana TsbieTelangana Board of Intermediate Education 2020Subjective· 4mImportance★★★★★
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Auxins are widely applied in agriculture/horticulture for rooting cuttings, controlling fruit/leaf drop, inducing flowering and seedless fruit, and as selective weed-killers.

Auxins are a class of plant growth hormones (the most well-known being IAA, along with synthetic auxins like NAA, 2,4-D, and IBA) with several practical applications:

  1. Rooting agent (vegetative propagation): Auxins (especially IBA and NAA) are widely used in nurseries and horticulture to induce the formation of adventitious roots on stem cuttings, enabling easier and more reliable vegetative propagation of ornamental and fruit plants.

  2. Prevention of fruit and leaf drop: Applied at the right concentration and stage, auxins can prevent premature drop (abscission) of fruits and leaves, helping growers retain fruit on trees until maturity (though at very high concentrations or later stages, auxins can actually promote abscission).

  3. Inducing/promoting flowering: Auxins can be used to induce flowering in certain plants; for example, they are used commercially to induce synchronized flowering in pineapple crops.

  4. Selective herbicide: The synthetic auxin 2,4-Dichlorophenoxyacetic acid (2,4-D) is widely used as a selective weedicide. It kills broad-leaved dicot weeds by causing uncontrolled/abnormal growth, but does not affect monocot crops (like wheat, maize, sugarcane) at the concentrations used — making it valuable for weeding cereal crop fields without damaging the crop itself.

  5. Inducing parthenocarpy: Auxin application can induce the development of seedless fruits (parthenocarpic fruit) without fertilization, e.g., in tomatoes.

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