Differential effects of N-1-naphthylphthalamic acid (NPA) and 2,3,5-triiodobenzoic acid (TIBA) on auxin control of swelling of the shoots of Bryophyllum calycinum Salisb.

Abstract

The effects of N-1-naphthylphthalamic acid (NPA) and 2,3,5-triiodobenzoic acid (TIBA) on the swelling of the stem in intact and decapitated plants of Bryophyllum calycinum in relation to the interaction with auxin, indole-3-acetic acid (IAA), are described. NPA induced conspicuous local internode swelling only in the area of its application in intact plants and in the decapitated internode in the case of simultaneous application of IAA on the top of the internode. By contrast, TIBA applied to an internode of intact plants induced swelling along the entire internode above the treatment area, and similar results were obtained in the decapitated internode when TIBA was applied in the middle of the internode and IAA was applied onto the top of the internode. The differential effect of NPA and TIBA on stem swelling in B. calycinum is discussed in relation to their differential mode of action on auxin transport.