Role of Plant Growth Regulators in Improving Vegetable Crop Productivity: A Review

Vegetable crops are one of the most critical sources of world nutrition and food security. However, optimal productivity can be challenging to achieve often due to biotic as well as abiotic factors. Plant growth regulators (PGRs) have evolved as effective tools for improving the growth and development of vegetables and stress resilience. This review discusses the major categories of PGRs, including auxins, gibberellins, cytokinins, ethylene, abscisic acid, brassinosteroids, jasmonates, and salicylic acid. Key physiological mechanisms, such as growth modulation, stress tolerance, and nutrient uptake, are discussed. They have different (PGRs) helpful under drought condition (ABA), and many of (PGRs) helpful for molecular aspect (genome editing tool CRISPR/Cas9) such as gibberellins. The review also highlights challenges, practical applications, and future research directions to maximize the benefits of PGRs in sustainable vegetable production.