Comparison of zeatin indoleacetate with zeatin and indoleacetic Acid in the tobacco bioassay.

Zeatin indole-3-acetate, 6-[4-(indole-3-acetoxy)-3-methyl-trans-2-butenylamino]purine, is at least as effective as zeatin on a molar basis in satisfying the cytokinin requirement for growth and bud formation in tobacco bioassays. It is less effective than indole-3-acetic acid and is needed as a variable function of the cytokinin concentration for satisfying the optimal requirement of an auxin. Comparisons of the types of growth and yield of tissue obtained with serial concentration of the ester and with equimolar mixtures of its free base and acid indicate that the relative requirement for auxin changes with the concentration of cytokinin and is related to the types of callus growth and differentiation which occur. The results also suggest that the ester serves as a source of auxin only after modification, presumably by hydrolysis to indoleacetic acid.