4-Chloroindole-3-acetic acid

Synopsis

It is a member of the class of compounds known as auxins and a chlorinated analogue of the more common indole-3-acetic acid (IAA) auxin. 4-Cl-IAA is found in the seeds of a variety of plants, particularly legumes such as peas and broad beans. In one study it is written that the substance is "mainly found in reproductive structures" and "is thought to be restricted to members of the leguminous tribe Fabeae, specifically "the genera Vicia, Pisum, Lathyrus, Lens, and Vavilovia".

Engvild hypothesized in 1996 that 4-Cl-IAA may be a "death hormone" that maturing seeds use to trigger death of the parent plant by mobilizing nutrients to be stored in the seed.

Lam et al found the substance in the seeds of Medicago truncatula, Melilotus indicus, and three species of Trifolium.

References

References

1. (1999). "4-Chloroindole-3-acetic acid and plant growth". Plant Growth Regulation.
2. (1984). "Occurrence of 4-Cl-indoleacetic acid in broad beans and correlation of its levels with seed development". Plant Physiology.
3. (1986). "Identification of 4-chloroindole-3-acetic acid and indole-3-aldehyde in seeds of ''Pinus sylvestris''". Physiologia Plantarum.
4. (1987). "Identification of 4-chloroindole-3-acetic acid and its methyl ester in immature seeds of ''Vicia amurensis'' (the tribe ''Vicieae''), and their absence from three species of ''Phaseoleae''". Plant and Cell Physiology.
5. (1997). "4-chloroindole-3-acetic and indole-3-acetic acids in ''Pisum sativum''". Phytochemistry.
6. (2012). "Biosynthesis of the Halogenated Auxin, 4-Chloroindole-3-Acetic Acid". Plant Physiology.
7. Engvild, Kjeld C.. (1996). "Herbicidal activity of 4-chloroindoleacetic acid and other auxins on pea, barley and mustard". Physiologia Plantarum.
8. (2015). "Evidence That Chlorinated Auxin is Restricted to the Fabaceae but Not to the Fabeae". Plant Physiology.