This disease caused the rice to grow tall and fall over. We now know that these are the plant hormones that control plant height and other factors. The Japanese were able to identify this compound. World War II put a halt to most gibberellin research. Scientists were intrigued to find that the hormones, in tiny amounts, had enormous effect on plant growth and other factors.
GAs are also important because they're tied to the way plants respond to their environment.
Proebsting grows animated talking about the discovery of gibberellins. Here at last were some good clues about how plants work. Proebsting comes from a line of people who cared about just that. And Proebsting the Youngest had followed their lead by becoming a botany major at the University of Washington, then a graduate student in plant physiology. You could say that love of plants is in his family's genes.