Paclobutrazol is an organic compound that has many industrial uses. It can be used as a plant growth retardant and fungicide, effects which have been studied extensively in various fields. For example, PBZ has been shown to reduce frost sensitivity in plants and could be used as a chemical approach to reducing the risk of lodging in cereal crops. PBZ is being studied by arborists who are using it to reduce shoot growth but are also finding many other benefits like improved resistance against fungi and bacteria, better ability to resist drought stress, darker green leaves, higher resistance against disease, and enhanced development of roots. It’s also been found that cambial growth–which is the growth of wood near the bark–is reduced in some tree species when PBZ is applied.
