Axillary bud growth – and specifically its release from apical dominance – has been a longstanding and complex area of research. Many phytohormone systems, as well as sugar signaling, have been implicated. Now, Holalu and Finlayson (see pages 943–952) have found compelling evidence that a much less-studied hormone in this context – abscisic acid (ABA) – may, in fact, be one of the first upstrea...
