Method for promoting plant growth

A method for promoting plant growth, which comprises

• treating a plant with at least one compound selected from a group consisting of a compound represented by the following Formula (1), in which the plant is a plant that has been exposed to abiotic stress,
• wherein
• R1 represents a hydrogen atom, a halogen atom, a nitro group, a C1-C6 alkyl group optionally having one or more groups selected from a group X, a C2-C6 alkenyl group optionally having one or more groups selected from the group X, a C2-C6 alkynyl group optionally having one or more groups selected from the group X, a phenyl group optionally having one or more group selected from the group Y, a 6-membered aromatic heterocyclic group optionally having one or more groups selected from a group Y, a 5-membered aromatic heterocyclic group optionally having one or more groups selected from the group Y, a carboxy group, a C2-C6 alkylcarbonyl group optionally having one or more halogen atoms, a benzoyl group optionally having one or more groups selected from the group Y, a C2-C6 alkoxycarbonyl group, an aminocarbonyl group, —NR6R7, —S(O)2NR6R8, —OR6, —S(O)mR6, or —SF5,
• R2 represents a hydrogen atom, a halogen atom, a cyano group, a nitro group, a C1-C6 alkyl group optionally having one or more groups selected from the group X, a C2-C6 alkenyl group optionally having one or more groups selected from the group X, a C2-C6 alkynyl group optionally having one or more groups selected from the group X, a phenyl group optionally having one or more groups selected from the group Y, a 6-membered aromatic heterocyclic group optionally having one or more groups selected from the group Y, a 5-membered aromatic heterocyclic group optionally having one or more groups selected from the group Y, a carboxy group, a C2-C6 alkylcarbonyl group optionally having one or more halogen atoms, a benzoyl group optionally having one or more groups selected from the group Y, a C2-C6 alkoxycarbonyl group, an aminocarbonyl group, —NR7R9, —S(O)2NR6R8, —OR9, —S(O)mR9, or —SF5,
• R3 and R4 are the same or different and each represents a hydrogen atom, a halogen atom, a cyano group, a nitro group, a C1-C6 alkyl group optionally having one or more groups selected from the group X, a C2-C6 alkenyl group optionally having one or more groups selected from the group X, a C2-C6 alkynyl group optionally having one or more groups selected from the group X, a phenyl group optionally having one or more groups selected from the group Y, a 6-membered aromatic heterocyclic group optionally having one or more groups selected from the group Y, a 5-membered aromatic heterocyclic group optionally having one or more groups selected from the group Y, a carboxy group, a C2-C6 alkylcarbonyl group optionally having one or more halogen atoms, a benzoyl group optionally having one or more groups selected from the group Y, a C2-C6 alkoxycarbonyl group, an aminocarbonyl group, —NR6R7, —S(O)2NR6R8, —OR6, —S(O)mR6, or —SF5,
• R5 represents a hydrogen atom, a halogen atom, a cyano group, a nitro group, a C1-C6 alkyl group optionally having one or more groups selected from the group X, a carboxy group, a C2-C6 alkoxycarbonyl group, —NR6R7, —S(O)2NR6R8, —OR10, a 6-membered aromatic heterocyclic group optionally having one or more groups selected from the group Y, or a 5-membered aromatic heterocyclic group optionally having one or more groups selected from the group Y,
• R6 represents a C1-C6 alkyl group optionally having one or more groups selected from the group X, a C3-C6 alkenyl group optionally having one or more groups selected from the group X, a C3-C6 alkynyl group optionally having one or more groups selected from the group X, a C4-C7 cycloalkylalkyl group optionally having one or more halogen atoms, a C7-C9 phenylalkyl group wherein a benzene ring portion may have optionally one or more groups selected from the group Y, a 6-membered aromatic heterocyclyl C1-C3 alkyl group wherein a 6-membered aromatic heterocyclyl portion may have one or more groups selected from the group Y, a phenyl group optionally having one or more groups selected from the group Y, a C3-C6 cycloalkyl group optionally having one or more halogen atoms, or a hydrogen atom provided that when m in —S(O)mR6 is 1 or 2, R6 is not a hydrogen atom,
• R7 represents a hydrogen atom, a C1-C4 alkyl group optionally having one or more halogen atoms, a C1-C4 alkylsulfonyl group optionally having one or more halogen atoms, a phenylsulfonyl group optionally having one or more groups selected from the group Y, a C7-C9 phenylalkylsulfonyl group wherein benzene ring portion may have optionally one or more groups selected from the group Y, a C2-C6 alkoxycarbonyl group, —C(O)R12, or —C(O)NR8R11,
• R8 and R11 are the same or different and each represents a C1-C6 alkyl group optionally having one or more halogen atoms, a phenyl group optionally having one or more groups selected from the group Y, or a hydrogen atom,
• R9 represents a C1-C6 alkyl group optionally having one or more groups selected from the group X, a C3-C6 alkenyl group optionally having one or more groups selected from the group X, a C3-C6 alkynyl group optionally having one or more groups selected from the group X, a C4-C7 cycloalkyl alkyl group optionally having one or more halogen atoms, a C3-C6 cycloalkyl group optionally having one or more halogen atoms, a C7-C9 phenylalkyl group wherein a benzene ring portion may have optionally one or more groups selected from the group Y, or a hydrogen atom provided that m in −S(O)mR9 is 1 or 2, R9 is not a hydrogen atom,
• R10 represents a C1-C6 alkyl group optionally having one or more groups selected from the group X, a C3-C6 alkenyl group optionally having one or more groups selected from the group X, a C3-C6 alkynyl group optionally having one or more groups selected from the group X, a C4-C7 cycloalkyl-alkyl group optionally having one or more halogen atoms, a C3-C6 cycloalkyl group optionally having one or more halogen atoms, a C7-C9 phenylalkyl group wherein a benzene ring portion may have optionally one or more groups selected from the group Y, a phenyl group optionally having one or more groups selected from the group Y, a C2-C6 alkylcarbonyl group optionally having one or more halogen atoms, a benzoyl group optionally having one or more groups selected from the group Y, a C1-C6 alkylsulfonyl group optionally having one or more halogen atoms, a phenylsulfonyl group optionally having one or more groups selected from the group Y, or a hydrogen atom,
• R12 represents a hydrogen atom, a C1-C6 alkyl group optionally having one or more halogen atoms, a phenyl group optionally having one or more groups selected from the group Y, a 5-membered aromatic heterocyclic group optionally having one or more groups selected from the group Y, or a 6-membered aromatic heterocyclic group optionally having one or more groups selected from the group Y, and
• m represents 0, 1, or 2,
• the group X represents a group consisting of a halogen atom, a cyano group, or a C1-C6 alkoxy group optionally having one or more halogen atoms, and
• the group Y represents a group consisting of a halogen atom, a cyano group, a nitro group, a C1-C6 alkyl group optionally having one or more halogen atoms, and a C1-C6 alkoxy group optionally having one or more halogen atoms,
• and an agriculturally acceptable salt thereof,
• provided that a method for promoting plant growth which comprises treating plants with a compound corresponding to any one of the following (1) to (5) and an agriculturally acceptable salt thereof is excluded,
• (1) 4-(Trifluoromethyl)benzo[b]thiophene-2-carboxylic acid
• (2) 5-(Trifluoromethyl)benzo[b]thiophene-2-carboxylic acid
• (3) 6-(Trifluoromethyl)benzo[b]thiophene-2-carboxylic acid
• (4) 7-(Trifluoromethyl)benzo[b]thiophene-2-carboxylic acid
• (5) Benzo[b]thiophene-2-carboxylic acid.