Regulation of Growth and Fruit Maturation with 2-Chloroethanephosphonic Acid

Abstract

THE new growth regulator, 2-chloroethanephosphonic acid (CEP), is active in forcing flowering of pineapple¹, as a fruit ripening agent², for promoting petiole and fruit abscission³ and inducing swelling of pea stems⁴. (CEP had been released as G-996 in a formulation identified as Amchem 66-329. Previous published reports have referred to it with these designations.) It has been suggested that the growth regulatory action was the result of the stimulation of ethylene production in the tissue similar to that resulting from treatment with IAA (ref. 4). In our laboratory tests with CEP it became clear that aqueous solutions of this compound were direct sources of ethylene which could be regulated by pH of the solution. This is similar to the release at ambient pressure of ethylene from solutions of beta-hydroxyethylhydrazine (BOH) as reported by Palmer et al.⁵. This report presents the results of laboratory and field experiments with CEP as a plant growth regulator.