Floral induction by 2,3,5-triiodobenzoic acid in Impatiens balsamina, a qualitative short-day plant

Floral buds were initiated in Impatiens balsamina plants treated with 2,3,5-triiodobenzoic acid (TIBA) and kept under non-inductive 16- and 24-hr photoperiods, although much later than under inductive 8-hr photoperiods. TIBA did not affect extension growth to any appreciable extent but decreased the number of nodes on the main shoot under 8-hr and increased it under 16- and 24-hr photoperiods. Its effect on the development of lateral buds varied with photoperiod. TIBA-induced flowering resembles gibberellin-induced one, but its mechanism is not clear.