The growth and gravitropic responses of wild‐type and auxinresistant mutants of <i>Arabidopsis thaliana</i>

Abstract

Growth and gravitropism have been studied in three mutant strains of Arabidopsis thaliana L, that are resistant to auxin‐herbicide. Two of the mutations are allelic and recessive ( aux‐1 and aux‐2 ) and are unlinked to a dominant mutation, Dwf , which confers a very high level of auxin‐resistance and is apparently lethal when homozygous. The aux‐1 and Dwf strains have altered response to gravity whereas aux‐2 appears to be gravitropically normal. After 96 h in the normal, vertical position only minor differences in elongation were observed between roots of wild‐type, aux‐1 and aux‐2 , but the hypocotyls of aux‐1 were significantly retarded compared with the gravitropically normal aux‐2 and wild‐type. In the progeny of selfed Dwf plants, where both normal ( dwf ) and agravitropic ( Dwf ) seedlings are present, the Dwf seedlings had much longer roots and shorter hypocotyls than dwf + . During 22 h of continuous stimulation the optimum angle for gravitropism in wild‐type roots and hypocotyls was 135° (i.e. the organ points obliquely upwards), with decreasing responses in the order 90° and 45°. The agravitropic nature of the roots of aux‐1 was confirmed as no significant response was obtained at any of the stimulation angles. In marked contrast, the negative gravitropic response of aux‐1 hypocotyls was greater than the wild‐type response in terms of the final angle attained at 22 h, but between 6 and 22 h the elongation rate was lower in aux‐1 . After varying stimulation periods in the horizontal position, the curvature which had developed, decreased rapidly and almost disappeared during ensuing rotation on clinostats (2 and 4 rpm). Rotation on the clinostats had no effect on the agravitropic behaviour of aux‐1 .