Skoog

SKOOG in 1954 made his now famous discovery when he used an old sample of deoxyribonucleic acid from Herring sperm to try and promote active growth of wound callus of tobacco and obtained a very promotive effect. The active component was only present in the old DNA sample or in autoclaved fresh samples and pointed to the active component being a breakdown product of DNA. In 1955 SKOOG identified this as kinetin and it was then thought that kinetin­like factors were present in plants as natural plant growth regulators. This was acertained to be correct when zeatin was isolated from maize endosperm by LETHAM in 1963. Zeatin was later shown to be the active component of coconut milk.