Analysis of 3-indolylacetic acid and abscisic acid by high-performance liquid chromatography and gas-liquid chromatography.

A method of analysis of 3-indolylacetic acid (IAA) and abscisic acid (ABA), allowing the simultaneous extraction of both regulators from plant material, has been developed. The method involves extraction with methanol, isolation of the acid fraction, diazomethane methylation, separation of the hormones through reverse-phase preparative high-performance liquid chromatography, and quantification of both compounds by gas-liquid chromatography. The recovery percentage at each step was monitored with radioactive compounds added at the beginning of the process. The final recovery was 70% for IAA and 96% for ABA. The method was applied to the analysis of the IAA and ABA content of stems of hazel (Corylus avellana L.).