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.
