In etiolated, 5-day-old pea (Pisum sativum L.) seedlings a significantly more intensive growth of buds situated in the axil of the excised cotyledons was observed as early as 4 hours after decapitation and excision of one cotyledon of each pair. If [8-(14)C]benzyladenine ([(14)C]BA) was applied to roots of intact plants 10 hours prior to such decapitation and excision, significantly higher both total and specific (14)C activities were observed in buds situated on the side of the excised cotyledons as early as 4 hours after decapitation and excision. Although the removal of a substantial part of the root system carried out simultaneously with decapitation and excision of one cotyledon resulted in a decrease in total (14)C activity of buds, nevertheless a higher accumulation of (14)C activity was maintained in buds situated on the side of excised cotyledon. If [(14)C]BA was applied to roots of seedlings after they were decapitated and deprived of one cotyledon, both total and specific (14)C activities of buds situated on the side of excised cotyledons were significantly higher as early as the end of uptake of [(14)C]BA by roots, i.e. after 10 hours. On the other hand, [1,2-(3)H]gibberellin A(1) applied to roots of intact and/or decapitated and one-cotyledon-deprived seedlings in the same way as [(14)C]BA did not appear in the buds until very much later and only in negligible amounts (i.e.(3)H activity). This indicates that the release of buds from apical dominance represents an active and selective process which can result from the ability of buds to utilize and/or synthesize only certain growth substances within a certain time interval.