Hormonal regulation of the growth and morphogenesis in potato

Abstract

Modern techniques of plant propagation in solanaceae family provide with high capacity for in vitro culture owing to the associated tuber borne diseases during vegetative propagation. Phytohormones including brassinosteroids (BRs), regulate the growth and morphogenesis of callus by modulating gene expression, enzyme activities, including a significant level of overlapping signalling pathways and molecules amongst each other. There have been ample evidences generated that suggest a BRs cross talk significantly with auxins, ethylene, cytokinins and abscissic acid amongst others to bring qualitative changes in growth and patterning as well as in modulating cellular stress response. The effects of BRs seem to be concentration dependent and stage specific providing a lucrative tool for the benefit of agriculture having been reported to augment yield and quality of the crop under challenging conditions of high salinity, drought or nutrient stress. The BRs have also protective roles under biotic stresses such as viral infections and fungal pathogens supported by significant number of field trials. This review intend to address the molecular impact of BRs application and the observed affect on plant morphology.