Composition for enhancing germination and growth of plants which comprises an effective amount of at least one abscisic acid-related compound having the following formula (I):
wherein

R may be carboxyl aldehyde, hydroxy, hydroxyloweralkyl, alkoxyloweralkyl, loweralkoxycarbonyl, loweracyloxyloweralkyl, acetylloweralkyl, loweralkanoyl, loweralkylamino, diloweralkylamino, loweralkoxy, loweracyloxy, loweralkylthio, loweralkyl sulphonyl, loweralkyl sulphinyl, amino, carbonyl halogen, thio, phosphate, sulfoxide, sulfone or deuterium;
R' may be hydrogen, oxo, hydroxyloweralkyl, loweralkoxy, halogen, thio, sulfoxide, sulfone, phosphate or deuterium;
R 2 may be hydrogen, oxo, hydroxy, halogen thio, phosphate, sulfoxide, sulfone or deuterium;
R 3 may be. carboxyl, aldehyde, loweralkyl, hydroxyloweralkyl, alkoxyloweralkyl, loweralkoxycarbonyl, loweracyloxyloweralkyl, acetylloweralkyl, loweralkanoyl, loweralkylamino, diloweralkylamino, loweralkoxy, loweracyloxy, loweralkylthio, loweralkyl sulphonyl, loweralkyl sulphinyl, or carbonyl;
and when R 2 is oxo or thio, R 2 may be linked to both C 1 and C 2 carbon atoms to form an epoxy or a thioepoxy ring;
R 4 may be hydrogen, oxo, halogen, thio, phosphate, sulfoxide, sulfone, deuterium, hydroxy, loweralkylsiloxane, carboxyl, aldehyde, hydroxyloweralkyl, alkoxyloweralkyl, loweralkoxycarbonyl, loweracyloxyloweralkyl, acetylloweralkyl, loweralkanoyl, loweralkylamino, diloweralkylamino, loweralkoxy, loweracyloxy, loweralkylthio, loweralkyl sulphonyl; loweralkyl suiphinyl, amino, carbonyl, cycloalkyl or cycloalkoxy having from 4 to 6 carbon atoms which is optionally substituted by loweralkyl, halogen, oxygen, hydroxy or loweralkoxy;
R 5 may be carboxyl, hydroxy, aldehyde, hydroxyloweralkyl, alkoxyloweralkyl, loweralkoxycarbonyl, loweracyloxyloweralkyl, acetylloweralkyl, acetoxyloweralkyl, loweralkanoyl, loweralkylamino, diloweralkylamino, loweralkoxy, loweracyloxy, loweralkylthio, loweralkyl sulphonyl, loweralkyl sulphinyl, amino, carbonyl, halogen, hydrogen, oxo, thio, phosphate, sulfoxide, sulfone or deuterium, and when R 5 is oxo, it may be linked to the carbon atom bearing R 3 ;
R 6 may be hydrogen, oxo, hydroxyloweralkyl, loweralkoxy, halogen, thio, sulfoxide, sulfone, phosphate or deuterium;
R 7 may be carboxyl, hydroxy, aldehyde, hydroxyloweralkyl, alkoxyloweralkyl, loweralkoxycarbonyl, loweracyloxyloweralkyl, acetylloweralkyl, acetoxyloweralkyl, loweralkanoyl, loweralkylamino, diloweralkylamino, loweralkoxy, loweracyloxy, loweralkylthio, loweralkyl sulphonyl, loweralkyl sulphinyl, amino, carbonyl, halogen, hydrogen, oxo, thio, phosphate, sulfoxide, sulfone or deuterium, and when R 7 is oxo, it may be linked to the carbon atom bearing R 3 ; and wherein
the dotted lines may each represent a single bond and the double dotted line represents either a double bond or a triple bond,
R 1 or R 6 is absent if the dotted line adjacent to R 1 and R 6 is a single bond, and isomers and functional derivatives thereof,
in admixture with an acceptable agricultural carrier comprising an agriculturally acceptable carrier cation when R, R 1 , R 2 , R 4 , R 5 , R 6 or R 7 are phosphate, sulfoxide or sulfone.