Phospholipids such as lysophosphatidylethanolamine (LPE) are important bio-regulators in plants and animals and have been found to play a critical role in plant growth and development. For example, LPE application has shown to promote fruit shelf lifeand to retard senescence of plant tissues. Moreover, in vitro plants grown on a calcium deficient media show shoot tip necrosis that leads to a loss of apical dominance. In the present study we investigated the possibility of promoting plant root growththereby enhancing calcium uptake and maintenance of apical dominance by including LPE in the media. We also compared this action with that of auxin (naphthalene acetic acid 'NAA'). Nodal cuttings of potato (Solatium tuberosum L. 'Dark Red Norland') werecultured on calcium sufficient/deficient media in the presence of LPE (400 ppm) or in the presence of NAA (1 and 2 nM). Inclusion of LPE and NAA in calcium sufficient media improved the overall growth of the plants compared to control (no auxin or LPE in the media). LPE in the root zone was found to increase the adventitious roots initiated at the base of the cultured stem cuttings. Inclusion of LPE, in calcium deficient media, mitigated the calcium deficiency symptoms of potato plants by reducing shoot tip damage and promoting root growth and lateral root formation. This action of LPE was similar to that of NAA when included in the culture media. Our results suggest that LPE may mitigate calcium deficiency symptoms (apex damage) by increasing root growth that in turn increased calcium uptake by the shoot, thus relieving the injury to shoot apex and maintaining apical dominance. Since root growth and apical dominance are known to be regulated by auxin, our results suggest that LPE may act like or interact with this hormone to regulate plant growth and development.

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calcium uptake senescence deficient plant root growththereby sufficient stem shoot adventitious roots sufficientdeficient media fruit shelf lifeand tip necrosis of apical dominance deficiency symptoms zone

.Hormone-like action of a natural lipid, lysophosphatidylethanolamine: a comparison with auxin. (1187),7.

"Hormone-like action of a natural lipid, lysophosphatidylethanolamine: a comparison with auxin"

"Hormone-like action of a natural lipid, lysophosphatidylethanolamine: a comparison with auxin"