According to Environmental Protection Agency, a plant
growth regulator (PGR) is defined as “any substance or mixtures
of substances intended, through physiological action, to accelerate
or retard the rate of growth or maturation or otherwise alter the
behavior of plants Yau [1] & Mahajan [2]. As reported in the current
literature, five principal categories of PGRs are recognized in plants:
Auxins (Auxs), Gibberellins (GAs), Cytokinins (CKs), Ethylene (ET),
and Abscisic acid (ABA). They are known to be produced in higher
plants. In addition to these categories, two other categories appear
to be active, in some cases, for regulating the plant growth: the
brassinosteroids (BRs) and polyamines (POA) Naqvi [3]. Over 70
years, Aux, GAs, CKs, ABA and ET were considered as the main
groups of phytohormones (for a review, see Kende & Zeevaart [4]
and Hopkins & Hüner [5] classified the plant hormones (or PGRs)
into five classes: GAs, Auxs, ET, CKs, ABA and BRs. In their review,
Ogunyale et al. [6] classified PGRs in five major classes: Auxs, CKs,
GAs, ET and ABA.
According to the American Society for Horticultural Science,
PGRs are classified in six major classes: Auxs, GAs, CKs, ET
generators, growth inhibitors and growth retardants Fishel [7].
As reported by Contreras AM & Lopez BJ [8], the classification of
PGRs into traditional six groups which have been received a great
research attention all over the world are Auxs, CKs, ET, ABA, GAs
and BRs.
In the last four decades, many authors Kaur & Rup [9], Ahmad
et al. [10] and Silva et al. [11] suggested that the PGRs can be used
as alternative to the conventional insecticides for controlling the
economically dangerous insect pests. Synthetic PGRs mimic the
authentic PGRs and are marketed specifically for the purpose
of stimulation or retardation of plant growth and development.
They are, also, used for reduction of the insect pest infestation on
crop plants Gupta et al. [12], Memon et al. [13], Ali et al. [14]and
Elhamahmy et al. [15].
The available literature contains many reported works focusing
on the disruptive effects of PGRs on various insect pests leading
directly to death or through impairment of their reproductive
potential and other physiological processes Mu et al. [16],
Mendonça et al. [17] and Kaur et al. [18]. Also, many PGRs had been
reported to deteriorate the food metabolism in different insects,
through impairment of food ingestion, digestion, absorption and
assimilation, such as Gibberellic acid against Bactrocera cucurbitae
Kaur & Rup [9] Spodoptera littoralis Kaur & Rup [9] as well as JA
against Spodoptera frugiperda Gordy et al. [19].
The use of PGRs may be an effective tactic in IPM programs, since
they induce the plant defenses resulting in decreased herbivore
fitness Stout et al. [20], Lyon [21] and Reglinski et al. [22]. However,
the available literature has been enriched with many reported
works indicating the stimulatory effects of PGRs on some plants
to resist herbivorous insects through various defense strategies
to minimize their damage Herbert et al. [23]and Strydhorst et al.
[24,25].
Professor, Chief Doctor, Director of Department of Pediatric Surgery, Associate Director of Department of Surgery, Doctoral Supervisor Tongji hospital, Tongji medical college, Huazhong University of Science and Technology
Senior Research Engineer and Professor, Center for Refining and Petrochemicals, Research Institute, King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals (KFUPM), Dhahran, Saudi Arabia
Interim Dean, College of Education and Health Sciences, Director of Biomechanics Laboratory, Sport Science Innovation Program, Bridgewater State University