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Auxins are used in several occasions commercially, Namely:

 Promotion of rooting of cuttings (e.g., Rootone).


 Auxin type herbicides
 Prevention of preharvest fruit drop

Rooting hormone:

Plant cutting, also known as striking or cloning, is a technique for vegetatively (asexually) propagating
plants in which a piece of the source plant containing at least one stem cell is placed in a suitable
medium such as moist soil, potting mix, coir or rock wool. The cutting produces new roots, stems, or
both, and thus becomes a new plant independent of the parent. Though not essential, several
compounds may be used to promote the formation of roots through the signaling activity of plant
hormone auxins, and is helpful with especially hard plant species. This compound is applied either to the
cut tip of the cutting or as a foliar spray. Rooting hormone can be manufactured naturally - one method
is to soak the yellow-tipped shoots of a weeping willow tree in water, or to prepare a tea from the bark
of a willow tree. When using the shoots or bark, they should be soaked for 24 hours prior to using.
Honey, though it does not contain any plant hormones, can also make an effective rooting substance.

Herbicides:

A herbicide, commonly known as a weedkiller, is a type of pesticide used to kill unwanted plants.
Selective herbicides kill specific targets while leaving the desired crop relatively unharmed. Some of
these act by interfering with the growth of the weed and are often synthetic "imitations" of plant
hormones. Herbicides used to clear waste ground, industrial sites, railways and railway embankments
are non-selective and kill all plant material with which they come into contact. Smaller quantities are
used in forestry, pasture systems, and management of areas set aside as wildlife habitat.

Prevention of preharvest fruit drop

Auxins, which are produced in most plants, are also applied on unripe fruits after harvest. These
fruits are usually the ones to be shipped, as an unripe fruit is much harder and less likely to get
damaged during shipping. Then, through the course of the journey, the auxin ripens the fruit, so
that by the time it reaches it’s destination it is ripe.

By: Ibrahim Ayaz Hashme, 10A1

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