MITTEL ZUR REGULIERUNG DES PFLANZENWACHSTUMS

Novel method for regulating the growth of plants which method comprises applying to the plants or their habitat, effective amounts of 2-thiazolone-5-carboxylic acid derivatives of the formula (I) in which R1 represents hydrogen, alkyl, alkoxyalkyl, alkylmercaptoalkyl, alkyl substituted by a heterocyclic radical, alkyl substituted by alkylcarbonyl or alkyl substituted by arylcarbonyl (which in turn can carry one or more substituents on the aryl part selected independently from halogen, alkyl, halogenoalkyl, alkoxy, alkylthio and nitro), or represents alkenyl, cycloalkyl, optionally substituted aryl, aralkyl which is optionally substituted in the aryl part, or the grouping in which R4 represents hydrogen, alkyl or aryl, and R5 represents alkyl, alkylcarbonyl, carbalkoxy, alkylsulphonyl or arylsulphonyl or R4 and R5 conjointly with the adjoining nitrogen atom represent a 5-membered to 7-membered heterocyclic ring. R2 represents hydrogen, alkyl (which is optionally substituted by cycloalkyl, alkoxy, alkylmercapto, phenoxyl, arylthio or cyano), cycloalkyl which is optionally substituted by alkyl, or aralkyl which is optionally substituted, and R3 represents hydrogen, alkyl, alkoxyalkyl, halogenoalkyl, cycloalkyl, optionally substituted aryl or optionally substituted aralkyl.