What Causes Plants to Become Dormant?.
Normal Conditions Under normal conditions, plants interact with the environment. They use sunlight, for example, to go through the process of photosynthesis, and roots absorb water. These conditions work with the pre-programmed biology of the plant and essentially tell it that it is a favorable time to grow and to produce fruit or seeds. Under these conditions, more photosynthate is produced than the plant can use–it is similar to an individual eating more food and gaining weight when food is plentiful. Light As light and temperatures decrease, the plant isn’t able to produce as much food for itself, because light is essential for the photosynthesis process. The growth of foliage slows, and the plant puts all its energy into surviving rather than getting bigger or producing seeds and/or fruit. Abscisic Acid Abscisic acid (ABA) is a hormone found in plants that is related to almost everything in plant dormancy. When temperatures drop, for instance, ABA is responsible for the suspension
