Gibberellins were first discovered in Japan when rice plants were suffering from bakane (the foolish seedling disease) caused by a fungus Gibberella fujikuroi.

a. Give two functions of this phytohormone.

b. Which property of Gibberellin caused foolish seedling disease in rice?

Functions of gibberellins:

Two functions of gibberellins are:

• Delay senescence: This helps in extending the market period as the fruits can be left on the tree for a considerably longer duration.
• Hastens maturity period: In juvenile conifers, the use of gibberellins hastens the maturity period which leads to early seed production.

Property of gibberellin causing foolish seedling disease in rice:

Gibberellins promote bolting (internode elongation) which causes the foolish seedling disease in rice.