What is Kinetin?

Kinetin, also known as 6-Furfurylaminopurine, belongs to a class of phytohormones known as cytokinins, which are bioactive molecules that regulate many aspects of plant growth and development. It has been shown to occur naturally in the DNA of living organisms, including humans and plants, and is used not only to promote the growth of plant tubers and shoots, but also to effectively stimulate the differentiation of C2C12 myoblasts into myotubes in vitro, making it a novel small molecule with potent pro-muscleogenic activity that is widely used in cosmetic formulations, in order to minimise the effects of ageing on the skin.

Plant Growth

In a study to assess the effect of Kinetin on growth and development and isolated microtubule formation in two potato varieties, Kufri Bahar and Kufri Surya, the results showed that lower concentrations of Kinetin (0.75 mg/litre) showed a decrease in the parameters of microtubule number, microtubule fresh weight, and number of eyes per microtubule. Higher concentrations of Kinetin (1.5 mg/litre and 2.25 mg/litre) resulted in an increase in parameters compared to the control, but a decrease in shoot length was observed in both varieties, but the concentration of (2.25 mg/litre) of Kinetin gave the best results in terms of quality and yield parameters of in vitro microtubulation.

Kinetin is known to inhibit or completely prevent root regeneration and growth when applied to leaves, especially leaf cuttings, due to its ability to inhibit the migration of amino acids and other substances from the leaves. However, application of Kinetin to the explants of musk kasturi orange had a significant effect on root length parameters. Moreover, application of 30 mg /L of Kinetin significantly enhanced all growth, flower and root traits in water deficient hybrid rice compared to untreated plants.

References:

[1] MICHAL MIELCAREK; Mark I. Kinetin stimulates differentiation of C2C12 myoblasts.[J]. PLoS ONE, 2021. DOI:10.1371/journal.pone.0258419.

[2] MEENAKSHI K. Effect of Kinetin on Growth and Development of Microtubers of Potato (Solanum Tuberosum L.)[J]. International Journal of Multidisciplinary Research Configuration, 2021. DOI:10.52984/ijomrc1408.

[3] SUPRIADI M, NOPSAGIARTI T, EZWARD C. Kinetin Concentration Test On Growth Castury Orange (Citrus microcarpa B.) On Medium Woody Plant Medium (WPM)[J]. Proceeding of International Conference on Science and Technology, 2022. DOI:10.36378/internationalconferenceuniks.v0i0.2816.