Role of Plant Growth Regulator “Gibberellins” in Vegetable Production: An Overview

This review provides a comprehensive overview of the basic and applied aspects of gibberellins (GAs) and its application in the regulation of growth and development of different vegetable crops. Plant growth regulators are the substances which are synthesized in particular cells and are transferred to other cells where in extremely small quantities influence the developmental processes. The GAs are an important group of phytohormones which exert various effects on promotion and regulation of plant growth. Gibberellic acid (GA3) is a type of GA plant hormone, with great economical and industrial importance. GAs affect stem elongation, germination, elimination of dormancy, flowering, sex expression, flooding responses, enzyme induction and leaf and fruit senescence. Foliar application of GA3 has been shown to change the physiological and developmental processes, including plant vegetative growth, sex expression, yield, and yield components in different vegetable crops. This study aims to reveal the impacts of GAs on different aspect of crop production with special emphasis on vegetable crops. Furthermore, appropriate concentration for the applications of GA3 in vegetable crops would be discussed so that the use of such regulators is environmentally and toxicologically safe for both plants and the consumers.