A Detailed Guide to the Correct Use of Abscisic Acid
Abscisic acid is a commonly used plant hormone, applied to many vegetables and fruits, so what is the method of use of abscisic acid? What effects does abscisic acid have? Let's take a look!
1. Basic introduction to abscisic acid
Abscisic acid is a plant hormone that can cause physiological effects such as bud dormancy, leaf abscission and inhibition of cell growth. It is named for its ability to promote leaf abscission and is widely distributed in higher plants.
Industrial fermentation of Botrytis cinerea to produce natural abscisic acid has now been achieved, with relatively high purity and relatively high biological activity, and it will be applied on a large scale in agricultural production in the future.
Natural abscisic acid is a white crystalline powder, easily soluble in methanol, ethanol, acetone, chloroform, ethyl acetate and trichloromethane, etc., and poorly soluble in ether, benzene, etc. Abscisic acid has good stability; when stored at room temperature for two years, the content of active ingredients remains basically unchanged.
2. Method of use of abscisic acid
Dilute abscisic acid with water in a certain proportion and spray it on the crop foliage at certain time intervals. Because the dosage and application interval of abscisic acid are not exactly the same for different crops, it needs to be used according to the instructions.
The general usage is:
Dilute with 300-600 kg of water and spray on the crop foliage; generally spray 3 times or more, with each interval of 7-10 days.
3. What effects does abscisic acid have?
1. Inhibits growth
It is a relatively strong growth inhibitor and can inhibit the growth of the whole plant or isolated organs. It inhibits cell division and elongation. It inhibits the elongation growth of organs such as coleoptiles, young shoots, roots and hypocotyls.
2. Promotes dormancy
Applying abscisic acid to the vigorously growing twigs of these woody plants will cause bud dormancy. Dormant buds of potatoes also contain relatively large amounts of abscisic acid. Therefore, abscisic acid can be used to treat potatoes to prolong their dormancy period.
3. Causes stomatal closure
Spraying plant leaves with an aqueous solution of abscisic acid can close the stomata and reduce the transpiration rate. Therefore, abscisic acid can be used as an antitranspirant. Abscisic acid also has an inhibitory effect on potassium ions and proton pumps, inhibiting stomatal opening.