Question

How were gibberellins discovered?

Answer 1

Gibberellins (GA)

1. GA is a type of growth-inducing phytohormone that induces cell elongation, division, and differentiation. They also delay fruit senescence, break dormancy in young buds and seeds, and facilitates seed production.

Discovery of gibberellins:

1. GA was first discovered in 1926 when Kurosawa was studying extracts from rice plants infected by the fungus Gibberella fujikuroi.
2. Rice plants infected by Gibberella fujikuroi were very tall and hence called foolish plants.
3. Extracts from the fungus when applied to other normal plants resulted in an increase in the plant height.
4. Later, three Japanese workers, T. Yabuta, Sumiki, and T. Hayashi, 1935 and 1938 isolated the chemical and named it GA [Gibberellic acid].