Use of Growth Regulators for Improving the Postharvest Quality of Ornamentals

Growth regulators are chemicals that alter the growth and development of plants. They may be natural or artificial, and typically they are active at very low concentrations. The most important plant growth regulators are the hormones, auxin, gibberellin, ethylene, cytokinin, and abscisic acid. Other growth regulators often act by modifying the action of the natural hormones. For example, naphthyl phthalamic acid (NPA), a synthetic plant growth regulator and herbicide, acts by inhibiting movement of auxin. In this article, we summarize the role and possible usefulness of the plant hormones and other plant growth regulators for improving the postharvest life of ornamentals.