Types of Plant Growth Regulators

Plant Growth Regulators (PGRs) can be broadly classified into two categories: 
  1. Plant Growth promoters
  2. Plant Growth inhibitors

Plant Growth promoters

Auxins:-
Function: Stimulate cell elongation, root formation, and fruit development.
Applications: Used for root initiation in cuttings, preventing premature fruit drop, and as a herbicide in high concentrations.
Example: Indole-3-acetic acid (IAA), Indole-3-butyric acid (IBA).
Gibberellins:-
Function: Promote stem elongation, seed germination, and flowering.
Applications: Used in increasing fruit size, breaking seed dormancy, and enhancing malting in barley.
Example: Gibberellic acid (GA).
Cytokinins:-
Function: Stimulate cell division and delay leaf senescence (aging).
Applications: Used in tissue culture for shoot initiation and to delay yellowing of leafy vegetables.
Example: Zeatin, Kinetin.

Plant Growth Inhibitors

Ethylene:-
Function: Influences fruit ripening, leaf abscission, and stress responses.
Applications: Used to ripen fruits like bananas and tomatoes and in thinning flowers to regulate crop load.
Example: Ethrel (a synthetic source of ethylene).
Abscisic Acid (ABA):-
Function: Promotes stomatal closure, seed dormancy, and stress tolerance.
Applications: Helps crops tolerate drought and cold stress, prevents premature sprouting in grains.
Example: Naturally occurring hormone in plants.