Gibberellin-like Activity in Berries of Seeded and Seedless Tokay Grapes

Gibberellin-like activity in berries of both ;Tokay' (seeded) and ;Seedless Tokay' grapes (Vitis vinifera L.) at different stages of development was determined. Activity in both seeded and seedless berries was mainly in the acidic ethyl acetate fraction. In seeded berries there was very high activity beginning at the early fruit-set stage and persisting for about 3 weeks after which the activity fell to low level and vanished by the middle of July. On August 1 there was another activity peak. The activity in ;Seedless Tokay' was similar except the decline was considerably more rapid and a secondary peak was reached in mid-June instead of August. The gibberellin-like substances in the acidic ethyl acetate fraction occurred mainly between R(F) 0.3 and 0.6 when the chromatogram was developed with ammoniacal isopropanol.The gibberellin-like substances from both types of berries were active in dwarf pea, dwarf corn, and lettuce hypocotyl bioassays, but not in the cucumber hypocotyl test. The role of gibberellin-like substances in berry development is discussed.