Abstract
Experiments performed under controlled conditions showed that level of PPFD (photosynthetic photon flux density) during early seedlings growth (preceding cold acclimation at +2 °C) was not the key factor for the development of frost resistance. It did not modify the beneficial effects of prehardening (Rapacz 1997, in this issue) at moderately low (+12 °C) day temperature.
Now I have shown that the increase of PPFD may replace to some extent prehardening in the development of frost resistance. It was particularly seen in non-prehardened plants, which had been grown under warm-day (+20 °C) conditions.
Prehardening performed under controlled conditions, as well as seedlings growth under natural autumn conditions in the field, allowed to maintain a high net-photosynthesis rate at chilling temperatures. A net-photosynthesis rate during cold acclimation at +2 °C corresponded well with higher frost resistance. As a result, seedlings non subjected to prehardening and grown before cold acclimation under low PPFD acclimated better, if the cold treatment was applied only at nights (+20/2 °C day/night). Only under such conditions the photosynthetic rate was sufficiently high to allow plants to reach a higher level of frost resistance. All other plants acclimated better when they were exposed to the hardening temperature continuously during days and nights (+2/2 °C day/night).
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Abbreviations
- LT50 :
-
temperature at which 50 % of the plants were frost-killed
- PSII:
-
photosystem II
- PN :
-
net photosynthesis
- PPFD:
-
photosynthetic photon flux density
- Ψπ :
-
osmotic potential
- WD, CD plants:
-
warm (+20 °C) or cold (+12 °C) day temperature during the early plant growth (before cold acclimation at +2 °C), respectively
- WD400 or CD400 and WD150 or CD150 :
-
subscripts indicating PPFD during the early growth of seedlings at warm or cold-day conditions (400 and 150 µmol(photon)·m−2·s−1, respectively)
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Rapacz, M. The after-effects of temperature and irradiance during early growth of winter oilseed rape (Brassica napus L. var. oleifera, cv. Górczański) seedlings on the progress of their cold acclimation. Acta Physiol Plant 20, 73–78 (1998). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11738-998-0046-9
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11738-998-0046-9