Zeatin is a

cytokinin Cytokinins (CK) are a class of plant hormones that promote cell division, or cytokinesis, in plant roots and shoots. They are involved primarily in cell growth and differentiation, but also affect apical dominance, axillary bud growth, and le ...

derived from

adenine Adenine () ( symbol A or Ade) is a nucleobase (a purine derivative). It is one of the four nucleobases in the nucleic acid of DNA that are represented by the letters G–C–A–T. The three others are guanine, cytosine and thymine. Its deri ...

, which occurs in the form of a ''cis''- and a ''trans''- isomer and conjugates. Zeatin was discovered in immature corn kernels from the genus '' Zea''. It promotes growth of lateral buds and when sprayed on

meristem The meristem is a type of tissue found in plants. It consists of undifferentiated cells (meristematic cells) capable of cell division. Cells in the meristem can develop into all the other tissues and organs that occur in plants. These cells conti ...

s stimulates cell division to produce bushier plants.

Occurrence

Zeatin and its derivatives occur in many plant extracts and are the active ingredient in coconut milk, which causes plant growth. 6-(γ,γ-Dimethylallylamino)purine is a zeatin precursor.

Application

Zeatin has a variety of effects including: # Promotes callus initiation when combined with auxin, concentration 1 ppm. # Promotes fruit set. Zeatin 100 ppm + GA3 500 ppm + NAA 20 ppm, sprayed at 10th, 25th, 40th day after blossom. # Retards yellowing for vegetables, 20 ppm, sprayed. # Causes auxiliary stems to grow and flower. Zeatin can also be applied to stimulate seed germination and seedling growth. Zeatin has also been shown to promote the resistance of

tobacco Tobacco is the common name of several plants in the genus '' Nicotiana'' of the family Solanaceae, and the general term for any product prepared from the cured leaves of these plants. More than 70 species of tobacco are known, but the ...

against the bacterial

pathogen In biology, a pathogen ( el, πάθος, "suffering", "passion" and , "producer of") in the oldest and broadest sense, is any organism or agent that can produce disease. A pathogen may also be referred to as an infectious agent, or simply a germ ...

Pseudomonas syringae ''Pseudomonas syringae'' is a rod-shaped, Gram-negative bacterium with polar flagella. As a plant pathogen, it can infect a wide range of species, and exists as over 50 different pathovars, all of which are available to researchers from intern ...

'', in which ''trans''-zeatin has a more prominent effect than ''cis''-zeatin.

References

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External links

Cytokinins
Cytokinins Purines Aging-related substances in plants