Effect of plant growth regulators and end-product on the enzyme activities in cotyledons of Vigna angularis during germination was investigated by measuring the changes of $alpha-amylase$ activities in attached and detached cotyledons applied growth regulators and sugars. The higher levels of $alpha-amylase$ in detached cotyledons than those in cotyledons attached to the embryonic axis were due to both faster synthesis and slower degradation of the enzyme in the detached cotyledons than in the attached cotyledons. Levels of $alpha-amylase$ activity were reduced by high concentrations of glucose and sucrose, and it is suggested that this effect was caused mostly by osmotic stress and partly by end-product repression. In detached cotyledons exogenously supplied $GA_3,$ IAA, kinetin, or their combinations has a small promotive effect on the developmental patterns of $alpha-amylase$ activity ABA and uniconazole both prevented the synthesis of $alpha-amylase$. Glucose inhibition of enzyme activity was partly reversed by the application of $GA_3,$ and CAMP. $GA_3,$ and cAMP seemed to act through a similar mechanism. The addition of inhibitors of protein and RNA synthesis largely prevented the increase of enzyme activity in the presence or absence of exogenous $GA_3,$. The pretreatment experiments with canavanine indicated that the earlier the time of addition was, the lower the amylase activity was.