l h e alteration in the ABA structure causes the analog to be metabolized more slowly than ABA, resulting in longer-lasting and more effective biological activity relative to ABA.The plant hormone (+)-ABA ( Fig. 1) regulates diverse aspects of plant growth, including development and germination of seeds, transpiration, and adaptive responses to environmental stresses (Zeevaart and Creelman, 1988;Davies and Jones, 1991). Considerable progress has been made in the identification of ABA-responsive genes, mutant characterization, and signaling (Bray, 1993;Chandler and Robertson, 1994;Giraudat et al., 1994). However, examination of the mechanisms of ABA action, identification of receptor proteins, and cellular localization of the hormone have been restricted by the rapid turnover of ABA in plants. Similarly, agricultura1 uses of applied ABA have been limited by its rapid metabolism in plants. Thus, the aim of the current research was to develop potent biologically stable ABA analogs that can be used to prolong ABA-like effects in plants for agricultural and basic research applications.Biologically stable analogs of other plant hormones, especially of the auxins, have proven to be useful tools for This is National Research Council of Canada paper no. 40712.