The phytohormone (ABA) discovered in the 1950s has a growth-regulating effect in plants in interaction with auxins, cytokinins and gibberellins. The effect of the growth-promoting phytohormones is cancelled and causes bud dormancy in already lignified, perennial plants. In vines, it is involved in leaf fall, shoot stunting, growth inhibition and during grape ripening.
During bud burst, the concentration in the buds drops drastically. Conversely, the ABA level in the newly formed winter buds increases parallel to seed and fruit formation and causes winter bud dormancy. In the event of water stress, the proportion in the leaf tissue increases enormously, as ABA controls the movement of the stomata (closing cells, leaf pores) through which the plant releases water and absorbs carbon dioxide.
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