ABSTRACT
Plant growth regulators play an important role in intensive cereal production as anti-lodging agents. Furthermore, applications are known to increase the plant resistance to certain environmental stresses. This chapter presents survey of the importance plant growth regulators have at present and may have in future for the production of cereal grains. It focuses on plant growth retardants for the control of lodging, since currently this is the only major application for plant growth regulators in cereals. Cereal plants are of outstanding importance for the nutrition of the population of the world. Plant growth regulators — besides fungicides, herbicides, and insecticides — offer another agrochemical tool for making plants use nutrients more efficiently and for exploiting their genetic and physiological potentials on a higher level. Aims for plant growth regulators are aims for plant breeding and vice versa. All the effects that can be achieved with chemical regulators may eventually be attained by breeding as well.
