Auxin biosynthesis and its role in plant

development

Auxin was identified as a plant growth hormone because of its ability to stimulate differential growth
in response to gravity or light stimuli. The in vitro bioassay in which auxin-containing agar blocks
stimulated the growth of oat coleoptile segments led to the identification of indole-3-acetic acid
(IAA) as the

main naturally occurring auxin in plants. Applications of IAA or synthetic auxins to plants cause
profound changes in plant growth and development (6). Much of the knowledge of the physiological
roles of auxin in plants is derived from studies on how plants respond to excess exogenous auxin.
However, an equally important aspect of auxin biology is to characterize the developmental defects
caused by auxin deficiency, which cannot be achieved without a clear grasp of auxin biosynthetic
pathways. Annu Rev Plant Biol. 2010 Jun 2; 61: 4964.

doi: 10.1146/annurev-arplant-042809-112308

Mungbean (Vigna radiata) is a food legume that is very rich in protein and essential amino acids
with the exception of the sulphur amino acids, methionine and cysteine which may be nutritional
limited. It is a good source of soluble carbohydrate, and contains very high amount of crude fiber
However, this all important food crop is beset by a number of bacterial diseases namely: bacterial
blight, halo blight, bacterial wilt and bacterial spot which result in yield loss. (Greener Journal of
Agricultural Sciences ISSN: 2276-7770 ICV 2012: 6.15 Vol. 4 (2), pp. 052-057, March
2014. www.gjournals.org 52 Research Article - (DOI:
http://dx.doi.org/10.15580/GJAS.2014.2.010714021) Application of Organic Amendments and
Botanical Foliar Sprays against Bacterial Diseases of Mungbean (Vigna radiata L.) in South Eastern
Nigeria Opara Emma Umunna*1 and Agugo Anselem2)

The mung bean (Vigna radiata (L.) R. Wilczek) is a legume cultivated for its edible seeds and sprouts
across Asia. There are 3 subgroups of Vigna radiata: one is cultivated (Vigna radiata subsp. radiata),
and two are wild (Vigna radiata subsp. sublobata and Vigna radiata subsp. glabra). The mung bean
plant is an annual, erect or semi-erect, reaching a height of 0.15-1.25 m (FAO, 2012; Lambrides et al.,
2006; Mogotsi, 2006). It is slightly hairy with a well-developed root system. Wild types tend to be
prostrate while cultivated types are more erect (Lambrides et al., 2006). The stems are many-
branched, sometimes twining at the tips (Mogotsi, 2006). The leaves are alternate, trifoliolate with
elliptical to ovate leaflets, 5-18 cm long x 3-15 cm broad. The flowers (4-30) are papillonaceous, pale
yellow or greenish in colour. The pods are long, cylindrical, hairy and pending. They contain 7 to 20
small, ellipsoid or cube-shaped seeds. The seeds are variable in colour: they are usually green, but
can also be yellow, olive, brown, purplish brown or black, mottled and/or ridged. Seed colours and
presence or absence of a rough layer are used to distinguish different types of mung bean
(Lambrides et al., 2006; Mogotsi, 2006). Cultivated types are generally green or golden and can be
shiny or dull depending on the presence of a texture layer (Lambrides et al., 2006). Golden gram,
which has yellow seeds, low seed yield and pods that shatter at maturity, is often grown for forage
or green manure. Green gram has bright green seeds, is more prolific and ripens more uniformly,
with a lower tendency for pods to shatter. In India, two other types of mung beans exist, one with
black seeds and one with brown seeds (Mogotsi, 2006). The mung bean resembles the black gram
(Vigna mungo (L.)) with two main differences: the corolla of Vigna mungo is bright yellow while that
of Vigna radiata is pale yellow; mung bean pods are pendulous whereas they are erect in black
gram. Mung bean is slightly less hairy than black gram. Mung bean is sown on lighter soils than black
gram (Ghl, 1982).

Pengaruh auksin terhadap tanaman

Physiological Effect # 1. Cell Elongation:

The primary physiological effect of auxin in plants is to stimulate the elongation of

The higher concentration of auxin on the shaded side causes the cells on that side to elongate
more rapidly resulting in bending of the stem tip towards the unilateral light. Many theories
have been proposed to explain the mechanism of cell elongation due to auxin.

Accordingly, the auxin causes cell elongation probably:

(i) By increasing the osmotic solutes of the cells,

(ii) By reducing the wall pressure,

(iii) By increasing the permeability of cells to water,

(iv) By an increase in the wall synthesis and

(v) By inducing the synthesis of specific DNA dependent new m-RNA and specific enzymic
proteins. The latter bringing about an increase in cell plasticity and extension resulting
ultimately in cell enlargement.

Physiological Effect # 2. Apical Dominance:

It has been a common observation in many vascular plants especially the tall and sparsely
branched ones that if the terminal bud is intact and growing, the growth of the lateral buds
just below it remained suppressed. Removal of the apical bud results in the rapid growth of
the lateral buds. This phenomenon in which the apical bud dominates over the lateral buds
and does not allow the latter to grow is called as apical dominance.

Skoog and Thimann (1934) first pointed out that the apical dominance might be under the
control of auxin produced at the terminal bud and which is transported downward through the
stem to the lateral buds and hinders their growth. They removed the apical bud of broad bean
plant and replaced it with agar block. This resulted in rapid growth of lateral buds. But, when
they replaced the apical bud with agar block containing auxin, the lateral buds remained sup-
pressed and did not grow.
In recent years, experiment with transgenic plants by plant physiologists and plant molecular
biologists have made it quite clear that by removing the apical bud (or decapitating) the
shoot), the concentration of auxin in lateral buds situated below was not decreased but there
was in-fact a manifold increase in auxin conc., a few hours after decapitation. For instance,
Gocal et al (1991) have observed fivefold increase in auxin conc. in the axillary buds of
Phaseolus vulgaris 4 hours after decapitation.

It is now generally held that inhibitory effect of auxin from shoot apex on lateral buds is not
direct but is indirect possibly through the involvement of other growth hormones such as
cytokinins and abscisic acid (ABA).

(In many plant species it has been observed that application of cytokinins to lateral buds
stimulates bud growth. The auxin in shoot apex makes it a sink for cytokinins which are
synthesized in roots. By decapitating the shoot, the supply of cytokinins is diverted to lateral
buds, thereby relieving the buds from apical dominance.

Application of auxin to cut apical stump retards accumulation of cytokinins in lateral buds
resulting in inhibition of bud growth. The ratio of auxin to cytokinins appears to be one of the
key factors involved in apical dominance. Higher auxin to cytokinins ratio suppresses the
growth of lateral buds.

ABA, which is well known growth inhibitor has been observed in dormant lateral buds in
intact plants. When the shoot is intact, the auxin in the shoot apex helps to maintain high
conc. of ABA in lateral buds so that their growth is suppressed. By removing the shoot apex,
the conc. of ABA in lateral buds decreases so that lateral buds grow rapidly).

Physiological Effect # 3. Root Initiation:

In contrast to the stem, the higher concentration of auxin inhibits the elongation of root but
the number of lateral branch roots is considerably increased i.e., the higher conc. of auxin
initiates more lateral branch roots. Application of IAA in lanolin paste to the cut end of a
young stem results in an early and extensive rooting. This fact is of great practical importance
and has been widely utilised to promote root formation in economically useful plants which
are propagated by cuttings.

Physiological Effect # 4. Prevention of Abscission:

Natural auxins have controlling influence on the abscission of leaves, fruits etc.

Physiological Effect # 5. Parthenocarpy:

Auxin can induce the formation of parthenocarpic fruits. In nature also, this phenomenon is
not uncommon and in such cases the concentration of auxins in the ovaries has been found to
be higher than in the ovaries of plants which produce fruits only after fertilization. In the
latter cases, the concentration of the auxin in ovaries increases after pollination and fertiliza-
tion.
Physiological Effect # 6. Respiration:

It has been established that the auxin stimulates respiration and there is a correlation between
auxin induced growth and an increased respiration rate. According to French and Beevers
(1953), the auxin may increase the rate of respiration indirectly through increased supply of
ADP (Adenosine diphosphate) by rapidly utilizing the ATP in the expanding cells.

Physiological Effect # 7. Callus Formation:

Besides cell elongation, the auxin may also be active in cell division. In fact, in many tissue
cultures where the callus growth is quite normal, the continued growth of such callus takes
place only after the addition of auxin.

Physiological Effect # 8. Vascular Differentiation:

Auxin induces vascular differentiation in plants. This has also been confirmed in tissue
culture experiments and from studies with transgenic plants. Cytokinins are also known to
participate in differentiation of vascular tissues and it is believed that vascular differentiation
in plants is probably under the control of both auxin and cytokinins.