A quantitative study of the effects of gibberellic acid on the growth of Festuca arundinacea

Abstract

Single plants of Festuca arundinacea (cv. S170) were treated with gibberellic acid (GA) and the sequence of effects on the growth of the whole plant and of various organs followed by means of growth analysis. The first effect of GA was to change the distribution of dry matter between shoot and root and between tillers within the shoot without affecting total plant weight. Shoot growth was increased and resulted in a larger amount of photosynthetic tissue with a higher net assimilation rate; total plant weight increased as a consequence of these effects. The significance of these results in interpreting previous work on the effects of GA on dry matter production in grasses and other plants is discussed.