Strigolactones (SLs) are plant hormones associated with diverse developmental processes including plant architecture and stress responses. SLs are exuded to the soil as an ecological signal to attract symbiotic arbuscular-mycorrhizal fungi. This ecological mechanism is also used by parasitic plants to detect the presence of host plants and initiate germination. The functional diversity of SLs makes SL biology so extensive that a single methodology is not sufficient to comprehend it. This review describes the theoretical and practical aspects of the design of small molecule probes that have been used to elucidate the functions of SLs. The lessons from the development of small molecules to tackle the unique questions in SL biology might be instructive in the extending field of chemical biology in plants.
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