Exploration and development of artificially synthesized plant growth regulators

Plant growth regulators (PGRs) are a critical regulatory factor that influences plant development and against abiotic or biotic stress. The chemical synthesis of phytohormone analogues represents an effective approach for developing novel PGRs with enhanced bioactivity, reduced costs, and simplified synthesis. This review provides a comprehensive examination of artificially synthesized PGRs (phytohormone structural analogues and functional analogues) over the past five years, emphasizing the synthesis strategy, bioactivity, structure-activity relationships, and target protein. This review argues that the synthesis of functional analogues of phytohormones represents a crucial in the advancement of novel PGRs, and optimization of synthetic procedures would greatly facilitate the commercialization of these PGRs.