Effect of 2-(3, 4-Dichlorophenoxy) triethylamine (DCPTA) on Growth and Development of SugarBeet (Beta vulgaris L. cv. Dihill)

Abstract

Application of 2-(3, 4-dichlorophenoxy) triethylamine (DCPTA) as a treatment to sugarbeet (Beta vulgaris L. cv. Dihill) seed enhanced leaf and root development and increased taproot sucrose yield, as compared with that of controls. During mid-exponential plant growth, seed treatment with 1 ppm DCPTA increased leaf growth and total leaf area development 98 % and 75 %, respectively, as compared with controls. The increased canopy size of DCPTA-treated plants was caused by delayed senescence of older, mature leaves. After 5 months growth, taproot fresh weight of 10 ppm DCPTA-treated plants was increased 28 % over that of controls. The sucrose content (%, fresh weight) of these taproots was 15 % greater than that of controls, which gave a 47 % increase in the sucrose yield per taproot. Taproot in-terring widths between vascular rings two, three, and four of DCPTA-treated plants were