What role do gibberellins play in plants?

Gibberellins are a group of plant hormones that play several important roles in the growth and development of plants. One key function of gibberellins is to increase the inter-node length, which is the distance between leaves on a stem. This elongation contributes to the overall height of the plant and supports the plant's ability to compete for light.

Additionally, gibberellins are crucial in promoting seed germination. They stimulate the production of enzymes that help break down stored food reserves in the seed, providing the energy and nutrients necessary for the growing seedling. This dual function of increasing inter-node length and promoting germination is fundamental to how plants grow and thrive in their environment.

Other choices relate to processes that are not typically associated with gibberellin action; for example, promoting leaf senescence and inhibiting seed germination are primarily associated with other hormones like abscisic acid. Similarly, suppressing flowering in short-day plants is more linked to the hormone photoperiodic factors rather than gibberellins.