Cytokinins of the urea and adenine type induced leaf abscission in young cotton (Gossypium hirsutum) plants in the following order of activity: N-phenyl-N'-1,2,3-thiadiazol-5-ylurea (thidiazuron) >> N-phenyl-N'-(2-chloro-4-pyridyl)urea > isopentenyladenine > 6-benzyladenine > zeatin = dihydrozeatin > kinetin. It is suggested that ethylene production is implicated in this response because it was stimulated by the compounds in cotton leaf discs with nearly the same effectiveness. Moreover, similar to thidiazuron (JC Suttle [1985] Plant Physiol 78: 272-276), isopentenyladenine-induced defoliation was inhibited by aminoethoxyvinylglycine, and the effect was restored by 1-aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylic acid.The phytohormonal cytokinins are N6-substituted adenine compounds that have been implicated in the regulation of many physiological processes including cell division and expansion, seed germination, flowering, and senescence (e.g. ref. 7). In addition to these natural cytokinins, synthetic compounds of different chemical classes demonstrated cytokinin-like activities (5, 9). Among them the N6-substituted adenine derivatives, e.g. Kn' and BA, and the heterocyclic ureas, e.g. TDZ and 4 PU-30, are the most effective substances known (9,10,19). In particular, TDZ and its derivatives displayed qualitatively similar biological properties to purine cytokinins in a range of bioassays including cytokinin-dependent ethylene production systems (19,23). The question is still open as to whether the biosynthesis and/or metabolism of cytokinins are influenced or a common site of action with endogenous cytokinins exists (1 1).As an additional physiological effect, TDZ induced abscission of young, nonsenescing, and mature cotton leaves (2). In this function, the compound is used in agriculture as a cotton defoliant to facilitate mechanical and manual harvesting (13). Results indicated that the effect was mediated by an increase in endogenous ethylene (16). This phytohormone is currently regarded as an important regulator of leaf abscission (6,13,15). However, TDZ-induced defoliation seems to be restricted to plants of the Malvaceae (1 1).Abbreviations: Kn, 6-furfurylaminopurine (kinetin); ACC, l-aminocyclopropane-l-carboxylic acid; MACC, N-malonyl-l-aminocyclopropane-l-carboxylic acid; AVG, aminoethoxyvinylglycine; DZ, DL-dihydrozeatin; IP, N6-(A2-isopentenyl)adenine; 4 PU-30, Nphenyl-N'-(2-chloro-4-pyridyl)urea; TDZ, N-phenyl-N'-1,2,3-thiadiazole-5-ylurea (thidiazuron); Z, zeatin. 234In contrast, purine-type cytokinins usually delay leaf senescence and abscission (e.g. Ref. 21). However, in exceptional cases such as in explants of Phaseolus (14) and leaves of Streptocarpus (20), promotion of the abscission process probably caused by stimulated ethylene (1) has been observed also.In cotton, ethylene production was increased by thidiazuron as well as by natural and synthetic cytokinins of adenine type (17). However, little information has been given in the literature on the potency of adenine-type cytokinins in defoliatin...