Considerations in the Use of Surfactants in Plant Systems: A Review

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Abstract
Many different types of surfactants are employed by biological investigators to reduce the surface tension of aqueous solutions in order to enhance the wetting of tissues for the penetration of various test compounds. Surfactants are frequently used at concentrations that greatly exceed the amount required for a maximum reduction of surface tension and with little consideration of the fact that they are chemicals of wide diversity with the potential of exerting biochemical effects upon growth and metabolic processes of living organisms. This may not be of concern where the objective is to enhance the penetration of herbicides, defoliants, or insecticides; but in other circumstances involving complex growth phenomena, such as differentiation, induction, or auxin-mediated events, greater caution is suggested in the use of surfactants.