Fermentative production of gibberellins:a review

Gibberellins(GAs)are one of the five plant hormones which play an important role in plant growth and development. They affect stem elongation,seed germination,elimination of dormancy,flowering and so on. Gibberellins have been widely used in the agriculture,forestry and brewing industries,and have brought great economic benefits. The industrial production of gibberellins is based on submerged fermentation by Fusarium fujikuroi. Although gibberellins have a diversity of applications and huge economic benefits,high production costs severely restrict their widespread application. This review summarizes the metabolic pathway and the regulatory mechanism for gibberellins biosynthesis. Also,the strains,nutritional factors,fermentation conditions,fermentation techniques and separation and purification process are discussed in detail. Meanwhile,it is pointed out that the focus of future research should be placed on screening high-yield strains as well as improving fermentation technology,in order to reduce the production cost and achieve large-scale application of gibberellins.