A method for treating plants in need of growth promotion, comprising applying to said plants, to the seeds from which they grow or to the locus in which they grow, a non-phytotoxic, effective plant growth promoting amount of an amide compound having the formula A-CO-NR<；SUP>；1<；/SUP>；R<；SUP>；2 <；/SUP>；in which A is an aryl group or an aromatic or non-aromatic, 5- or 6-membered heterocycle which has from 1 to 3 hetero atoms which are selected from O, N and S； where the aryl group or the heterocycle may or may not have 1, 2 or 3 substituents which are selected, independently of one another, from alkyl, halogen, CHF<；SUB>；2<；/SUB>；, CF<；SUB>；3<；/SUB>；, alkoxy, haloalkoxy, alkylthio, alkylsulfinyl and alkylsulfonyl； R<；SUP>；1 <；/SUP>；is a hydrogen atom； R<；SUP>；2 <；/SUP>；is a phenyl or cycloalkyl group which may or may not have 1, 2 or 3 substituents which are selected, independently of one another, from alkyl, alkenyl, alkynyl, alkoxy, alkenyloxy, alkynyloxy, cycloalkyl, cycloalkenyl, cycloalkyloxy, cycloalkenyloxy, phenyl and halogen, where the aliphatic and cycloaliphatic radicals may be partially or fully halogenated and/or the cycloaliphatic radicals may be substituted by from 1 to 3 alkyl groups and where the phenyl group may have from 1 to 5 halogen atoms and/or from 1 to 3 substituents which are selected, in dependently of one another, from alkyl, haloalkyl, alkoxy, haloalkoxy, alkylthio and haloalkylthio, and where the amidic phenyl group may or may not be condensed with a saturated 5-membered ring which may or may not be substituted by one or more alkyl groups and/or may have a hetero atom selected from O and S.本發明係關於一種用於處理有生長促進需要之植物之方法，其包括在該植物、長成其之種子或其生長之位置處施用一不具有植物毒性且其量可有效促進植物生長之具有式I之醯胺化合物，A-CO-NR1R2I其中A係一芳基或一具有1至3個選自O、N及S之雜原子的芳香族或非芳香族五或六員雜環；其中該芳基或雜環可具有或不具有1、2或3個各自獨立選自以下基團之取代基：烷基、鹵素、CHF2、CF3、烷氧基、鹵代烷氧基、烷硫基、烷基亞磺醯基及烷磺醯基；R1係一氫原子；R2係一苯基或環烷基，其可具有或不具有1、2或3個各自獨立選自以下基團之取代基：烷基、烯基、炔基、烷氧基、烯氧基、炔氧基、環烷基、環烯基、環烷氧基、環烯氧基、苯基及鹵素，
