The invention relates to agriculture, and specifically to regulators of plant growth and development that can be used for the pre-sowing treatment of cereal crop seeds and are in the form of bis(oxymethyl)phosphinic acid and biogenic metal salts thereof with the general formula (I) Men±[OP(O)(CH2OH)2]1, where n may be 1 or 2 and Me may be any of the following: H, Na, Ca, Mg, Co, Cu, Zn, Mn. The claimed compounds of formula I are effective regulators of plant growth and development when acting in concentrations of 1·10−;7-1·10−;12%. Pre-sowing treatment of the seeds of cereal crops, namely wheat, corn and rice, by means of the claimed compounds increases germination energy and germination capacity up to 13%, also increases plant vigor, and rootlet and shoot lengths increase up to 36%. Crop harvests increase and the quality of the resulting grain improves, which expands the range of effective, environmentally friendly plant growth and development regulators that act at the level of natural phytohormones.