Biochemical and Genetical Basis for the Temperature Sensitivity of Photosynthesis and Growth in Chilling-Sensitive Plants

Abstract

Many plants show a dramatic decrease in photosynthetic rate and a cessation of growth once the temperature falls below 10 °C to 12 °C. A wide variety of plants exhibit this sensitivity to chilling temperatures, that is temperatures in the range of 0 to about 12 °C (see for example Table 1). A number of important food crops and most tropical plants are sensitive to chilling temperatures. This sensitivity to chilling temperatures is important not only because it limits the growth of plants to climates where chilling temperatures are infrequent or do not occur, but also because the storage life of fresh food commodities obtained from these plants cannot be increased by storage at low temperatures.