BRAINCAKECytokinins
Cytokinins are plant growth regulators that promote cell division. They are made mainly in root tips and in developing seeds and fruits, and are transported up the plant in the xylem.
Effects of cytokinins
- Cell division: cytokinins stimulate cell division in meristems, working together with auxin.
- Lateral bud growth: cytokinins promote the growth of lateral buds, opposing the inhibitory effect of auxin in apical dominance.
- Delaying leaf senescence: cytokinins slow the ageing of leaves, keeping them green and photosynthesising for longer. Leaves detached from a plant age quickly, partly because they lose their supply of cytokinins from the roots.
Sign in free to see the rest of this lesson, the R.E.C.I.P.E. recall steps and the quiz
BrainCake is free. Make an account in seconds and pick up where this page stops.
Key terms in this lesson
- plant growth regulator
- A chemical made in plant cells that alters growth or development, often at very low concentration and away from where it was made.
- apical dominance
- The inhibition of the growth of lateral buds by the auxin produced in the apical bud at the shoot tip.
More in Chemical Control
- Plant Growth
- Auxins
- How Auxins Work
- Gibberellins
- Synergy and Antagonism
- Apical Dominance
- Sensory Systems in Plants
- Phytochromes
All 30 lessons in Chemical Control · All Edexcel A-level Biology topics