Abstract
Summary Winter rapeseed (Brassica napus L.) promises to be an important oil crop in the Northwest regions of Iran. Winter hardiness and freezing tolerance are still problems for producing reliable high yield in these regions. Thus, a factorial experiment on the basis of RCB design was conducted in 2007, to investigate the effects of seed vigour (three vigour levels) and cold acclimation duration (0, 14, 28 and 42 days) on freezing tolerance (-3, -6, -9 and -12°C) capability of winter oilseed rape. Plant survival at freezing temperatures was significantly decreased with decreasing seed vigour level. Plants produced from the highest vigour seed lot (SV1, control) had the greatest freezing tolerance (71.5% survival, -10.56°C LT50), compared with those from two poor vigour seed lots. Seedlings from all seed lots exhibited the greatest survival at 28 days of cold acclimation. On the 28 th day of acclimation, the LT50 of leaf discs decreased by 7.8°C, compared with the non-acclimation treatment. The results clearly suggested that seed vigour can strongly influence freezing tolerance and plant survival in winter oilseed rape, through effects on seedling vigour before frost occurrence.
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