Abstract: As a phytohormone , abscisic acid (ABA) regulates many aspects of plant growth and development , such as seed dormancy, germination , vegetative growth , and environment stresses . Evidence show that ABA involves in the control of flowering . The environmental factors involved in flowering induction , such as photoperiod changes, vernalization , and drought, affect ABA levels . Summarized here are the recent progresses on understanding the correlation between the four major pathways of flower induction and the ABA changes , on the ABA distribution in leaf buds and flower buds during
bud differentiation , and on the ABA effect on bud differentiation during the tissue culture . The role of ABA in flower induction and development is discussed .

Key words: ABA