Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1955-09-07
BY THOMAS R. HENRY
Science Editor of'The star

Science Editor OF Inc eter
LANSING. Mich. Sept. t.
Discovery of an hitherto UNI
suspected group of chemicals in
nature which may be one Of the
cornerstones of plant life-and
hence of all life on earth-was
announced before the American
Institute of Biological Sciences
here yesterday by DR.. Folke
Skoog Of the University Of Wis
consin. The institute is meeting
at Michigan State University.
The substances are essential
for cell division. When they are
used in laboratory experiments
DR.. Skoog said, it is possible
essentially to regulate plant
growth at viii and the regen-
crate leaves. roots and Other
plant organs. The basic SUBJ
stance has been named "kinetin.
It probably occurs in several
forms in nature. A large num-
Der. Of synthetic chemicals have
been produced similar in struc-
ture to kinetin, which have much
the same effects.
Kinetin is q plant hormone
quite similar in action to secre-
lions Of such endocrine glands a.
the pituitary and adrenals In
animals. Extremely minute
amounts produce dramatic ef-
fects. A cell division hormone.
however, has not yet been found
In any animal. From one point
Of view this might be considered
Q rejuvenation hormone.
Basic Process Of Growth
Cell division is the basic
process Of growth. It slows down
in both plants and animals when
maturity is reached and after
that cells do little more than re-
place themselves. Eventually
even this stops. This is the state
Of old age and death. But In
plants. with kinetin or some Of
the synthetics, tissues which
have achieved their fun growth
can be started growing again.
That plants, as well as animals,
contained hermones, DR.. Skoog
said, has been known only for
the past 20 years and they still
are not well understood. They
are the so-called auxins. They
act in q system of checks and
balances. BY regulating the
auxins in test-tube experiments
plant growth can be partially.
but not entirely controlled. OBJ
viously something has been
missing. In their search for this
missing factor DR.. Skoog and
his associates discovered kinetin.
The kinins, as the new chem
Teal family is called, act as team
mates Of the auxins. The action
OF each is incomplete without
the. other. Both are essential
to plant life.
Checks and Balances
EARLY notions" DR.. Skoog
said, "held that a specific sub
stance was needed for the de-
velopment Of each plant organ
and that these were root form
ing, stem-forming and leaf
forming hormones. When auxin
was first discovered its function
was believed to be restricted
specifically to the enlargement
Of existing cells. rather than to
the formation Of new cells. It
was soon learned that while this
might be Its primary function
auxin also was involved in q
variety Of more complex cell
phenoFiena and that other sub
stances must be present in
plants which acted in systems
Of checks and balances.
"A deficiency Of any one OF
these factors makes growth i'm
possible and an increase Of one
in proportion to others directs
growth along definite lines.
use of chemicals of the auxin
group in combination with the
kinins seems to promise a re-
markedly effective means for
practical regulation. as well as
scientific study of, plant growth
and DEVELOPMENT"