Standardization of malformin bioassays and relationship between malformation intensity and malformin activity in mango.
Sant Ram, Kiran Raina
Author Affiliation: Department of Horticulture, G.B. Pant Unversity of Agriculture and Technology, Pantnagar 263?145, Nainital, Uttar Pradesh, India.
: 412-424
Abstract : The corn [maize] root curvature test was standardized for estimating malformin activity in various mango tissues. Malformin A and mango malformins also induced a typical curvature in pea roots similar to that in maize and induced a flap-like growth in wheat roots which could not be induced with other plant growth regulators. These tests could therefore be used to identify malformin. Bioassays showed that healthy mango panicles and shoots did not contain any malformin, but it was isolated from malformed panicles and shoots. Data indicated a strong positive correlation between the degree of malformation and malformin activity. Some malformin-like substances were common to malformed vegetative and floral tissues but additional malformins were found in the former.