Effects of post-chilling temperature on growth and variegation in Solomon's Seal

Effects of temperature were studied on the current and following season's growth of shoots from chilled rhizomes of Variegated Solomon's Seal. The rate of progress to completed elongation of the aerial shoot in chilled plants increased linearly with increasing temperature up to 28°C (24 h mean). A post‐chilling thermal time of 658 ± 47°Cd (> ‐1.3°C) was required for aerial shoots to become fully extended. Temperatures of 28°C and 33°C accelerated aerial shoot senescence and decreased rhizome and root dry weights, as compared with 18°C and 23°C treatments. Leaf number and variegation were not affected by temperature treatments during current growth season and all plants produced 12–13 leaves with between 7% and 9% leaf area variegated. Leaf variegation, however, was significantly increased in plants that had been grown after chilling at 28°C during the preceding growing season. Proteins of approximately 26, 32 and 62 kDa were present in the green parts of leaves but not in the white parts.     

Water relations under root chilling in a sensitive and tolerant tomato species

The shoots of cultivated tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum cv. T5) wilt if their roots are exposed to chilling temperatures of around 5 °C. Under the same treatment, a chilling‐tolerant congener (Lycopersicon hirsutum LA 1778) maintains shoot turgor. To determine the physiological basis of this differential response, the effect of chilling on both excised roots and roots of intact plants in pressure chambers were investigated. In excised roots and intact plants, root hydraulic conductance declined with temperature to nearly twice the extent expected from the temperature dependence of the viscosity of water, but the response was similar in both species. The species differed markedly, however, in stomatal behaviour: in L. hirsutum, stomatal conductance declined as root temperatures were lowered, whereas the stomata of L. esculentum remained open until the roots reached 5 °C, and the plants became flaccid and suffered damage. Grafted plants with the shoots of one genotype and roots of another indicated that the differential stomatal behaviour during root chilling has distinct shoot and root components.     

Cold Stress-Induced Acclimation in Rice is Mediated by Root-Specific Aquaporins

Cold acclimation process plays a vital role in the survival of chilling- and freezing-tolerant plants subjected to cold temperature stress. However, it remains elusive whether a cold acclimation process enhances root water uptake (a component of chilling tolerance) in chilling-sensitive crops such as rice. By analyzing the root hydraulic conductivity under cold stress for a prolonged time, we found that cold stress induced a gradual increase in root osmotic hydraulic conductivity [Lp(r(os))]. Compared with the control treatment (roots and shoots at 25°C), low root temperature (LRT) treatment (roots at 10°C; shoots at 25°C) dramatically reduced Lp(r(os)) within 1 h. However, Lp(r(os)) gradually increased during prolonged LRT treatment and it reached 10-fold higher values at day 5. Moreover, a coordinated up-regulation of root aquaporin gene expression, particularly OsPIP2;5, was observed during LRT treatment. Further, comparison of aquaporin gene expression under root-only chilling (LRT) and whole-plant chilling conditions, and in the roots of intact plants vs. shootless plants, suggests that a shoot to root signal is necessary for inducing the expression of aquaporin genes in the root. Collectively, these results demonstrate that a cold acclimation process for root water uptake functions in rice and is possibly regulated through aquaporins.     

Dark chilling increases glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase activity in soybean leaves

Available evidence suggests that the stress‐induced increase in the activity of glucose‐6‐phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PDH, EC 1.1.1.49), the key regulatory enzyme of the oxidative pentose phosphate pathway, might often be related to the presence of plant water deficit. The response of G6PDH to dark chilling in chilling sensitive plant species is still unknown. In this communication we report on this response and its dependence on the presence of chill‐induced drought stress. A chilling sensitive soybean (Glycine max L. Merr.) genotype was exposed to dark chilling of the entire plant (whole‐chilled) or only the shoots and leaves (shoot‐chilled). The development of chill‐induced drought stress upon illumination was quantified by measurement of proline and relative water content (RWC). Chill‐induced drought stress (decrease in RWC and increase in proline content) developed with time in whole‐chilled plants, but not in shoot‐chilled plants. The response of the above‐mentioned treatments on G6PDH activity in fully expanded leaves was assessed. In parallel, the effects on CO₂ assimilation, PSII activity and chloroplast fructose‐1,6‐bisphosphatase (FBPase EC 3.1.3.11) and ribulose‐1,5‐bisphosphate carboxylase/oxygenase (Rubisco EC 4.1.1.39) activity were quantified. A decrease in CO₂ assimilation rate, FBPase activity and ribulose‐1,5‐bisphosphate (RuBP) content was observed in whole‐chilled but not in shoot‐chilled plants. However, in shoot‐chilled plants regulation of diurnal PSII activity was altered. The increase in the activation state of NADP‐dependent malate dehydrogenase (NADP‐MDH EC 1.1.1.82) in shoot‐chilled plants suggests an increase in stromal redox state. Although the two different dark chilling treatments resulted in distinct physiological and biochemical effects, both induced an increase in foliar G6PDH activity, suggesting an important role of this enzyme during and following dark chilling stress, irrespective of the presence of chill‐induced drought stress.     

Proteome analysis of potato under salt stress

Because salt stress is a major abiotic source of stress on potato crops, the molecular mechanism of the response of potato plants to salt stress was examined. On exposure to salt, the salt-sensitive cultivar Concord showed a greater reduction in shoot and root length than did the salt-tolerant cultivar Kennebec. For both cultivars, the reduction in the length of shoots was more severe than that of the roots. Salt exposure increased the content of free proline and total soluble sugars in shoots of Kennebec; these remained unchanged in Concord. Proteins extracted from shoots of both cultivars exposed to 90 mM NaCl were separated by two-dimensional polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis: 322 and 305 proteins were detected in shoots of Kennebec and Concord, respectively. Of these, 47 proteins were differentially expressed under NaCl treatment in shoot of both cultivars. Among the differentially expressed proteins, photosynthesis- and protein-synthesis-related proteins were drastically down-regulated, whereas osmotine-like proteins, TSI-1 protein, heat-shock proteins, protein inhibitors, calreticulin, and five novel proteins were markedly up-regulated. These results suggest that up-regulation of defense-associated proteins may confer relative salt tolerance to potato plants.     

Selenium Modifies the Effect of Short-Term Chilling Stress on Cucumber Plants

The objective of this study was to investigate the effect of selenium (Se) supply (0, control; 2.5, 5, 10, or 20 μM) on cucumber (Cucumis sativus L.) cv. Polan F1 plants grown under short-term low temperature stress. About 14–16 day-old seedlings, grown at an optimal temperature (25/20°C; day/night), were exposed to short-term chilling stress with a day/night temperature of 10°C/5°C for 24 h, for a further 24 h at 20°C/15°C, and then transferred to 25/20°C (re-warming) for 7 days. Se did not affect the fresh weight (FW) of plants at a concentration of 2.5–10 μM, but in the presence of 20 μM Se, the biomass of shoots significantly decreased. The contents of chlorophylls and carotenoids witnessed no significant change after Se supplementation. Compared with the control, the Se-treated plants showed an increase of proline content in leaves, once after chilling and again after 7 days of re-warming. However, proline levels were much higher immediately after chilling than after re-warming. The malondialdehyde (MDA) content in the root of plants treated with 2.5–10 μM Se decreased directly after stress. This was in comparison with the plants grown without Se, whereas it increased in roots and leaves of plants exposed to 20 μM Se. Seven days later, the MDA level in the root of plants grown in the presence of Se was still lower than those of plants not treated with Se and generally witnessed no significant change in leaves. Although Se at concentrations of 2.5–10 μM modified the physiological response of cucumber to short-term chilling stress, causing an increase in proline content in leaves and diminishing lipid peroxidation in roots, the resistance of plants to low temperature was not clearly enhanced, as concluded on the basis of FW and photosynthetic pigments accumulation.     

Electrical resistance changes during exposure to low temperature measure chilling and freezing tolerance in olive tree (Olea europaea L.) plants

Electrical resistance changes in different organs of four olive tree (Olea europaea L.) varieties, characterized by different tolerance to chilling and freezing, were examined, during exposure to low temperature. Apparent critical temperatures (CT) and freezing temperatures (T_fr) were identified on the basis of the electrical resistance changes. Both temperatures were lower for the more chilling‐tolerant genotypes. From the apparent critical temperatures, the absolute critical temperature (CT_abs) and the time delay of the chilling signal transduction process were calculated. In shoots, CT_abs varied from 8·8 °C for Ascolana (chilling‐tolerant variety) to 13·6 °C for Coratina (chilling‐sensitive variety). The magnitude of the transduction time was very similar (about 2 min) for the three genotypes that are more sensitive to chilling, whereas it was significantly higher (about 3 min) for the most tolerant genotype. Different freezing temperatures were observed for different organs. It would appear from this experiment that the order of sensitivity is roots > leaves > shoots > vegetative buds. Accord was found between the absolute critical temperature of electrical resistance and the critical temperature of membrane potential. The occurrence of electrical resistance changes in the tissues of the olive trees exposed to low temperature suggests the use of this experimental procedure as a quick, easy and non‐destructive tool to screen plant tissues for chilling tolerance. The strong dependence of the electrical resistance on low temperature, and the critical temperature of around 10 °C, can yield interesting information about the lowest thermal limits for the continuation of normal physiological processes and therefore about the adaptability of plants to particular environments.     

Short and long term effects of root and shoot chilling of ransom soybean

The immediate short term effects on some physiological processes and the long term effects on morphology and reproductive development of root- and shoot-chilled soybeans (Glycine max L. cv Ransom) were studied. Roots or shoots of 16- or 17-day-old plants were chilled at 10°C for one week, and then rewarmed to 25°C. Leaf elongation rate, net CO₂ uptake rate, and stomatal conductance decreased during root or shoot chilling. Root chilling had only temporary effects on water relations, while shoot chilling caused large changes in potentials during chilling. Most processes measured returned to control levels after two days of rewarming. Root-chilled plants harvested 90 days after emergence were similar in morphology and seed weight to controls. Shoot-chilled plants showed a large increase over controls in axillary branch growth, but an early abortion of flowers and a delayed resumption of flowering caused a 78% reduction in seed weight. Root chilling in this study was found to have little or no long term effect on the plants, while shoot chilling caused significant changes in vegetative morphology, and a delay in flowering and subsequent pod filling.     

Root cooling strongly affects diel leaf growth dynamics,water and carbohydrate relations in Ricinus communis

In laboratory and greenhouse experiments with potted plants, shoots and roots are exposed to temperature regimes throughout a 24 h (diel) cycle that can differ strongly from the regime under which these plants have evolved. In the field, roots are often exposed to lower temperatures than shoots. When the root‐zone temperature in Ricinus communis was decreased below a threshold value, leaf growth occurred preferentially at night and was strongly inhibited during the day. Overall, leaf expansion, shoot biomass growth, root elongation and ramification decreased rapidly, carbon fluxes from shoot to root were diminished and carbohydrate contents of both root and shoot increased. Further, transpiration rate was not affected, yet hydrostatic tensions in shoot xylem increased. When root temperature was increased again, xylem tension reduced, leaf growth recovered rapidly, carbon fluxes from shoot to root increased, and carbohydrate pools were depleted. We hypothesize that the decreased uptake of water in cool roots diminishes the growth potential of the entire plant – especially diurnally, when the growing leaf loses water via transpiration. As a consequence, leaf growth and metabolite concentrations can vary enormously, depending on root‐zone temperature and its heterogeneity inside pots.     

Chilling sensitivity of the frost-tolerant potato Solanum commersonii

Frost tolerance has been reported in the shoots of wild, tuberiferous potato species such as Solanum commersonii when the plants are grown in either field or controlled conditions. However, these plants can survive as underground tubers and avoid unfavorable environmental conditions altogether. As such, leaf growth and photosynthesis at low temperature may not be required for survival of the plants. In order to determine the temperature sensitivity of S. commersonii shoots, we examined leaf growth, development and photosynthesis in plants raised at 20/16°C (day/night). 12/9°C and 5/2°C. S. commersonii leaves grown at 5°C exhibited a marked decrease in leaf area and in total chlorophyll (Chl) content per leaf area when compared with leaves grown at 20°C. Furthermore, leaves grown at 5°C did not exhibit the expected decrease in either water content or susceptibility to low-temperature-induced photoinhibition that normally characterizes cold acclimation in frost-tolerant plants. Measurements of CO₂-saturated O₂ evolution showed that the photosynthetic apparatus of 5°C plants was functional, even though the efficiency of photosystem II photochemistry was reduced by growth at 5°C. A decrease in the resolution of the M-peak in the slow transients for Chl a fluorescence in leaves grown at 12 and 5°C and in all leaves exposed to high light at 5°C indicated that low temperature significantly affected processes on the reducing side of Q_A, the primary quinone electron acceptor in photosystem II. Thus S. commarsonii exhibits the characteristics of a plant that is limited by chilling temperatures. Although S. commersonii can tolerate light frosts, its sensitivity to chilling temperatures may result in shoot dieback in winter in its native habitat. The plants may avoid both chilling and freezing temperatures by overwintering as underground tubers.     

Boron nutrition and chilling tolerance of warm climate crop species

BACKGROUND: Field observations and glasshouse studies have suggested links between boron (B)-deficiency and leaf damage induced by low temperature in crop plants, but causal relationships between these two stresses at physiological, biochemical and molecular levels have yet to be explored. Limited evidence at the whole-plant level suggests that chilling temperature in the root zone restricts B uptake capacity and/or B distribution/utilization efficiency in the shoot, but the nature of this interaction depends on chilling tolerance of species concerned, the mode of low temperature treatment (abrupt versus gradual temperature decline) and growth conditions (e.g. photon flux density and relative humidity) that may exacerbate chilling stress. SCOPE: This review explores roles of B nutrition in chilling tolerance of continual root or transient shoot chills in crop species adapted to warm season conditions. It reviews current research on combined effects of chilling temperature (ranging from >0 to 20 degrees C) and B deficiency on growth and B nutrition responses in crop species differing in chilling tolerance. CONCLUSION: For subtropical/tropical species (e.g. cucumber, cassava, sunflower), root chilling at 10-17 degrees C decreases B uptake efficiency and B utilization in the shoot and increases the shoot : root ratio, but chilling-tolerant temperate species (e.g. oilseed rape, wheat) require much lower root chill temperatures (2-5 degrees C) to achieve the same responses. Boron deficiency exacerbates chilling injuries in leaf tissues, particularly under high photon flux density. Suggested mechanisms for B x chilling interactions in plants are: (a) chilling-induced reduction in plasmalemma hydraulic conductivity, membrane fluidity, water channel activity and root pressure, which contribute to the decrease in root hydraulic conductance, water uptake and associated B uptake; (b) chilling-induced stomatal dysfunction affecting B transport from root to shoot and B partitioning in the shoot; and (c) B deficiency induced sensitivity to photo-oxidative damage in leaf cells. However, specific evidence for each of the mechanisms is still lacking. Impacts of B status on chilling tolerance in crop species have important implications for the management of B supply during sensitive stages of growth, such as early growth after planting and early reproductive development, both of which can coincide with the occurrence of chilling temperatures in the field.     

Chilling stress response of postemergent cotton seedlings

Early season development of cotton is often impaired by sudden episodes of chilling temperature. We determined the chilling response specific to postemergent 13-day-old cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L. cv. Coker 100A-glandless) seedlings. Seedlings were gradually chilled during the dark period and rewarmed during the night-to-day transition. For some chilled plants, the soil temperature was maintained at control level. Plant growth, water relations and net photosynthesis (P(n)) were analyzed after one or three chilling cycles and after 3 days of recovery. Three chilling cycles led to lower relative growth rate (RGR) compared with controls during the recovery period, especially for plants with chilled shoots and roots. Treatment differences in RGR were associated with net assimilation rate rather than specific leaf area. Both chilling treatments led to loss of leaf turgor during the night-to-day transition; this effect was greater for plants with chilled compared with warm roots. Chilling-induced water stress was associated with accumulation of the osmolyte glycine betaine to the same extent for both chilling treatments. Inhibition of P(n) during chilling was related to both stomatal and non-stomatal effects. P(n) fully recovered after seedlings were returned to control conditions for 3 days. We conclude that leaf expansion during the night-to-day transition was a significant factor determining the magnitude of the chilling response of postemergent cotton seedlings.     

Net CO2 output by CAM plants in the light: the role of leaf conductance

Triadimefon [1-(4-chlorophenoxy)-3,3-dimethyl-l-(l,2,4-triazol-l-yl)-2-butanone] is a triazoie fungicide which protects bean ( Phaseolus vulgaris L. cv. Spring Green) plants from heat and chilling injury. When the plants were exposed to heat shock by dipping the shoots in hot (50°C) distilled water for 2 min or exposing the plants to cold (1°C) for 8 h the primary leaves showed visual symptoms of injury 2 days after treatment and thereafter there was a progressive decline in chlorophyll and an increase in electrolyte leakage indicative of a loss of membrane integrity. There was a loss of metabolic (respiratory) activity in the root meristems when the roots were dipped in hot (48°C) water. All these symptoms of heat and chilling injury in the controls were either delayed or prevented by root application of triadimefon.     

Nucleolar vacuolation in soybean root meristematic cells during recovery after chilling

The nucleolar vacuole formation in soybean root meristematic cells from seedlings grown 3 d at temperature 25 °C (control), 3 d at temperature 25 °C and then transferred to 10 °C (chilling) for 4 d, and after recovery for 1.5, 3, 6, 12 and 24 h at 25 °C were observed on semi-thin sections. Simultaneously, autoradiographic studies with ³H-uridine on squashed preparations were carried out. During recovery of plants, the number of vacuolated nucleoli increased gradually from 24 % after 1.5 h up to 40 % after 24 h, while in the control there were 18 % of nucleoli with vacuoles and after 4-d chilling only 5 %. Labelling of cells during 20-min incubation in ³H-uridine and during 80-min post-incubation in non-radioactive medium was increased in recovered plants in comparison with the control and chilled plants. The conclusion has been drawn that nucleolar vacuoles in soybean plants are formed as a result of migration of granular component accumulated in nucleolus during 4-d chilling.     

Effects of long-term chilling on growth and photosynthesis of the C4 gramineae Paspalum dilatatum

Dallis grass (Paspalum dilatatum Poir.) is a C₄/NADP‐ME gramineae, previously classified as semi‐tolerant to cold, although a complete study on this species acclimation process under a long‐term chilling and controlled environmental conditions has never been conducted. In the present work, plants of the variety Raki maintained at 25/18°C (day/night) (control) were compared with plants under a long‐term chilling at 10/8°C (day/night) (cold‐acclimated) in order to investigate how growth and carbon assimilation mechanisms are engaged in P. dilatatum chilling tolerance. Although whole plant mean relative growth rate (mean RGR) and leaf growth were significantly decreased by cold exposure, chilling did not impair plant development nor favour the investment in biomass below ground. Cold‐acclimated P. dilatatum cv. Raki had a lower leaf chlorophyll content, but a higher photosynthetic capacity at optimal temperatures, its range being shifted to lower values. Associated with this higher capacity to use the reducing power in CO₂ assimilation, cold‐acclimated plants further showed a higher capacity to oxidize the primary stable quinone electron acceptor of PSII, Q_A. The activity and activation of phosphoenolpyruvate carboxylase (PEPC; EC 4.1.1.31) and ribulose‐1,5‐bisphosphate carboxylase/oxygenase (Rubisco; EC 4.1.1.39) were not significantly affected by the long‐term chilling. Cold‐acclimated P. dilatatum cv. Raki apparently showed a lower transfer of excitation energy from the light‐harvesting complex of photosystem II to the respective reaction centre and enhancement of radiationless energy‐dissipating mechanisms at suboptimal temperatures. Overall, long‐term chilling resulted in several effects that comprise responses with an intermediate character of both chilling‐tolerant and –sensitive plants, which seem to play a significant role in the survival and acclimation of P. dilatatum cv. Raki at low temperature.     

Different root low temperature response of two maize genotypes differing in chilling sensitivity

Here we report on the root hydraulic properties of intact and excised root systems of two maize genotypes differing in chilling sensitivity (Z7, tolerant and Penjalinan, sensitive) subjected for 3 d to 5 °C. When root hydraulic conductance (L) was measured under a hydrostatic force using an excised root system in a pressure chamber, an initial decrease of L was observed in both genotypes. However, the value of L increased in the chilling tolerant genotype after 30 h at 5 °C; in the chilling sensitive Penjalinan genotype there was no such increase. Osmotic root hydraulic conductance was measured in excised root systems exuding under atmospheric pressure. We observed a progressive decline during the chilling treatment of the osmotic root hydraulic conductance in the chilling sensitive Penjalinan plants; however, after 54 h at 5 °C, the chilling tolerant Z7 plants had a significantly higher osmotic hydraulic conductance. Moreover, in the chilling tolerant plants we found an increase in the inhibition caused by HgCl₂ of the osmotic hydraulic conductance during the chilling treatment, indicating a possible increase in the contribution of aquaporins to root hydraulic conductance in the chilling tolerant Z7 plants during chilling treatment.     

黄瓜的冷害及耐冷性

随着蔬菜反季节栽培面积的不断扩大,如何提高黄瓜(Cucumis sativus L.)耐冷性已成为选育新品种的研究重点。系统地综述近几年黄瓜耐冷性的鉴定、获得途径、冷害机理以及遗传和分子遗传学等方面的研究,以促进对黄瓜冷害机制的研究, 加速耐冷品种的培育。耐冷性鉴定时要从耐冷指数、低温发芽能力、MDA (丙二醛)含量和电解质渗漏率等几个方面综合鉴定。耐冷性的获得途径主要有冷驯化、激素处理、热激处理和培育耐低温品种,最重要的途径是耐冷品种选育。黄瓜冷害机理包括细胞膜的流动性降低及透性增加,光合作用被抑制,根系吸收减弱,可溶性糖含量减少,淀粉粒积累增加,微管的稳定性受到破坏等。黄瓜低温发芽能力由非加性基因决定,而幼苗时期主要由加性基因控制。黄瓜 耐冷的分子遗传学研究进展缓慢,目前已克隆出在低温锻炼中特异表达的功能未知的基因CCR18。今后还应研究黄瓜低温胁迫时的信号转导系统,以进一步揭示黄瓜的冷害机理;利用野生资源的抗逆性状,拓宽栽培黄瓜的遗传基础,选育适于保护地栽培的耐低温品种。