Yield responses of some economically important crop plants due to foliar applications of low concentrations of 28-homobrassinolide (HBR) were studied in experiments conducted at research stations and in farmers' fields in India during 1989-95. Foliar sprays of different concentrations of HBR were applied at tillering and spike\panicle initiation in wheat (0n5 and 1n0 mg\l) and rice (0n25, 0n50 and 1n00 mg\l) ; at flowering and pegging in groundnut (0n25 and 0n50 mg\l) ; 30 and 45 days after sowing (DAS) in mustard (0n25 and 0n50 mg\l) ; 25 and 35 days after emergence in potato (0n25 and 0n50 mg\l) ; and 30, 50, 70 DAS in cotton (0n1 and 1n0 mg\l). The HBR treatments significantly (P 0n05 and P 0n01) increased grain yields in wheat, rice and mustard, pod yields in groundnut, tuber yields in potato and seed cotton yields, over control. The extent of yield improvement due to HBR was influenced by crop species, concentration of HBR, plant growth stage at application and frequency of application.

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Stereoselective Synthesis of a New Hexanor(C23-C28)castasterone-20,22-ethyl Diether from 16-Dehydropregnenolone Acetate and Its Plant Growth Promoting Activity. -The new brassinosteroid (IX) is stereoselectively synthesized starting from readily available acetate (I). It shows typical brassin activity in mung bean epicotyl bioassay. -(HAZRA, B. G.; BASU, S.; BAHULE, B. B.; PORE, V. S.; VYAS, B. N.; RAMRAJ, V. M.; Tetrahedron 53 (1997) 13, 4909-4920; Div. Org. Chem., Natl. Chem. Lab., Pune 411 008, India; EN)