Root and Shoot Growth of Plants Treated with Abscisic Acid

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Abstract
Young seedlings of Capsicum annum L., Commelina communis L. and maize (Zea mays L.) were subjected to a mild water-stressing treatment and/or treated with abscisic acid (ABA). Plants rooted in soil received a soil-drying treatment and their leaves were sprayed with a 10−4 M solution of ABA. Plants grown in solution culture were stressed by the addition of polyethylene glycol (PEG) to the rooting medium and ABA was also added to the rooting medium, either with or without PEG. The effects of both treatments on the growth of roots and shoots and the ultimate root: shoot dry weight ratio were very similar. Shoot growth was limited both by water stress and by ABA application; while there was some evidence that mild water stress and/or ABA application may have resulted in a stimulation of root growth. More severe water stress reduced the growth of roots but the overall effect of stress was to increase the ratio of roots to shoots.