ABSTRACT
In this chapter, the authors review, in a wide range of crop plants, the regulatory activities of tertiary amines on plant growth and crop performance. The rate of primary root elongation during seed germination and seedling establishment often shows a positive correlation to crop yield. Biomass gain in crop plants is controlled by complex interactions of photoassimilate production by source leaves and photosynthate utilization by sink tissues. Intense competition for photosynthate by developing sink tissues may increase net carbon assimilation and photosynthate production in source leaves. Ornamental greenhouse crops are generally produced using labor and energy (fossil fuel)-intensive plant culture methods. The production of aesthetically pleasing vegetative growth with uniform flower development is a critical element in the retail market appeal of ornamental crops.
