ABSTRACT
Carotenoid biosynthesis can be affected by bioregulatory agents such as 2-diethylaminoethyl-4-methylphenylether and 2-diethylaminoethyl-3, 4-dichlorophenylether, which regulate biosynthesis of carotenoid pigments in a wide array of plants and microorganisms. The relative effectiveness of a bioregulatory agent on inhibition of cyclization reaction and on stimulation of net synthesis of carotenoids leads to variations in the carotenoid response pattern. Thus the stimulation or the regulation of gene expression appears to be mediated by the bioinduction of an effector molecule which triggers the derepression of the genetic material. When the bioregulatory agents are applied at low concentrations at the beginning of the developmental phase of the crop, the stimulatory effect on carotenoids is manifested without cyclase inhibition, resulting in enhancement of desirable color quality that is normally associated with the crop.
