(ZChloroethyl) trimethylammonium Chloride and Related Compounds as Plant Growth Substances

In this series of publications, the action of (2chloroethyl)trimethylammonium chloride’ and certain other structurally related compounds will be described as a class of plant growth substances. The growth of plants after treatment with certain of these chemical compounds will be published in subsequent articles?, 3 The most characteristic effect is the development of stockier plants with shorter and thicker stems. Such a growth pattern is the opposite from that produced by gibberellin, and in fact the actions of gibberellin and of (%-chloroethyl)trimethylammonium chloride on the growth of plants are mutually antagonistic.2* 3 In this paper, data from an assay with wheat seedlings are presented in order to determine relationships between chemical structure and biological activity as plant growth substances. In 1908, it was noted that plants growing in solutions containing 25 p.p.m. of (ethylene)trimethylammonium bromide were injured, and that plants were killed by 250 p.p.m. of this compound (1). Other prior tests of compounds related to (2-chloroethyl)trimethylammonium chloride on the growth of plants have not been reported. However, (2-chloroethyl)trimethylammonium chloride is a competitive inhibitor of cholinesterase in animals (2).