Endogenous phytohormone is a kind of trace organic small molecule compound synthesized in plants. It plays important roles in regulating the growth and development of plants throughout their life cycles, and responding to external stimuli. With the development of analytical methods for the detection of phytohormone, the amount of analytical samples is gradually reduced. Moreover, the differences in the types and contents of phytohormones in different plant tissues (or organs) are constantly presented. These developments greatly promote the study of the physiological effects of plant hormones. In recent years, the temporal and spatial distribution of endogenous phytohormones in several plant samples has attracted more and more attention in plant hormone analysis. This review summarizes the research progress made in the study of the spatial and temporal distribution of endogenous phytohormones in the last five years. Mainly, the review summarizes and discusses the difficulties associated with analysis, the development of analytical methods, and the spatial and temporal distribution of major plant hormones. The sampling methods, sample preparation and detection methods for spatial and temporal distribution studies are discussed in detail with a special focus on our work in plant hormone detection. Finally, the future development of the plant hormone analysis research field analysis is prospected.
Keywords: liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS); plant hormones; review; sample preparation; spatio-temporal distribution.