Patent ID: 8143192

Claim:
A method for increasing the tolerance of a plant cell or plant to hypoxic or anoxic conditions, comprising: a) applying an effective amount of a compound of formula (I) wherein Het represents a heterocycle which is either mono- or polysubstituted by fluorine, chlorine, methyl or ethyl, wherein said heterocycle is: pyrid-3-yl, pyrid-5-yl, 3-pyridinio, 1-oxido-5-pyridinio, 1-oxido-5-pyridinio, tetra-hydrofuran-3-yl, or thiazol-5-yl, A represents C 1 -C 6 -alkyl, —N(R 1 )(R 2 ) or S(R 2 ), in which R 1 represents hydrogen, C 1 -C 6 -alkyl, phenyl-C 1 -C 4 -alkyl, C 3 -C 6 -cycloalkyl, C 2 -C 6 -alkenyl or C 2 -C 6 -alkynyl, and R 2 represents C 1 -C 6 -alkyl, C 2 -C 6 -alkenyl, C 2 -C 6 -alkynyl, —C(═O)—CH 3 or benzyl, R represents hydrogen, C 1 -C 6 -alkyl, C 2 -C 6 -alkenyl, C 2 -C 6 -alkynyl, —C(═O)—CH 3 or benzyl or together with R 2 represents the groups below: —CH 2 —CH 2 —, CH 2 —CH 2 —CH 2 —, —CH 2 —O—CH 2 —, —CH 2 —S—CH 2 —, —CH 2 —NH—CH 2 —, —CH 2 —N(CH 3 )—CH 2 —, and X represents N—NO 2 , N—CN or CH—NO 2 on said plant cell or plant or on its locus, or on seeds of said plant; and b) identifying a plant or plant cell which has an increased tolerance to hypoxic or anoxic conditions compared to a plant cell or plant where said compound was not applied to the plant, its locus or its seeds.