Frost Injury Research Articles

Hardiness dependent accumulation of phospholipids in leaves of wheat cultivars

AbstractPhospholipid content and composition in the leaves of thirteen cultivars of wheat differing in frost hardiness, were compared before and after hardening in order to see whether phospholipids play a role in surviving at low temperatures. The content of phospholipids in the leaves at the end of the hardening could be related to the aquired hardiness, and the relationship between the two phenomena could be described by the regression equation y = (0.174 ± 0.0016) x + 1311. Accumulation of phospholipids represents a hardiness dependent augmentation of membranes. Phosphatidylcholine appeared to be preferentially accumulated in hardy cultivars during the hardening process. As there are no significant differences in phospholipid fatty acid compositions investigated earlier, these results suggest the importance of the polar head group composition of membranes in avoiding frost injury.

Frost injury to Norway spruce during the winter of 1976–1977

AbstractSymptoms of frost injury to young Norway spruce occurred in most of south‐eastern Norway at the beginning of March 1977. Needles and bark of the previous year's and, to a lesser degree, of the two‐year‐old shoots, were affected. The injury was most severe in plantations, especially of southern provenances on high quality sites. There was little or no effect of altitude, terrain or degree of exposure. The injury is presumed to have been initiated by unfavourable weather in 1976 (an extremely dry summer followed by a wet and cold autumn) and triggered by large daily temperature fluctuations towards the end of February when the tissues were lethally injured.

Effect of Simulated Frost Injury on Fruit Development in Three Pear Cultivars1

Abstract Simulated frost injury to ovaries at intervals after full bloom significantly increased fruit malformation, reduced fruit weight, and increased fruit drop in ‘Bartlett’, ‘Bosc’, and ‘Comice’ pear (Pyrus communis L.). Time of injury did not affect fruit weight and malformation in most cases, but did significantly affect fruit drop. Significant positive correlations were found between fruit weight and seed content, while negative correlations were found between fruit malformation and seed content for all cultivars.

Ecological adaptations in Douglas-fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii var. glauca) populations

Growth, phenology and frost tolerance of seedlings from 50 populations of Douglas-fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii var. glauca) were compared in 12 environments. Statistical analyses of six variables (bud burst, bud set, 3-year height, spring and fall frost injuries, and deviation from regression of 3-year height on 2-year height) showed that populations not only differed in mean performance, but also reacted differently to the environmental gradient. Most of the population-environment interaction was attributable to heterogeneous regressions of population means on environmental means. For all variables except growth rate, the variance of heterogeneous regression coefficients was explained by convergence of regression lines to a common point on the environmental gradient. Consequently, mean values for populations were significantly correlated with regression coefficients. Thus, main effects of populations in those single environments that induced the greatest mean differences reflected the interaction. Multiple regression analyses associated adaptive differentiation of populations with geographic and ecologic characteristics of the seed source. Differentiation was controlled primarily by elevation and secondarily by latitude. Whereas longitude was a minor factor, habitat types accounted for no differentiation beyond that associated with elevation, a factor closely correlated with habitat types. From these results it is recommended that seed for reforestation should not be moved more than 140 m elevation, 1·6 degrees latitude, or 2·7 degrees longitude in northern Idaho and eastern Washington.

Characteristics of the Bark Splitting Injury of Young Tea Plant and Weather Condtion Influencing this Frost Injury

In recent years, the bark splitting injury has occurred frequently both on cuttings in nursery and on young plants in tea gardens at southern districts of Kyushu.In order to clarify the characteristics of the bark splitting injury, the various field conditions and the climatic factors easy to cause it were investigated.1. The bark splitting injury occurred on the basal part of stem of both cuttings and young plants up to two-year-old was chiefly observed at the first frost near the ceasing time of the autumn growth.The occurring mechanism of this injury is expressed as that the bark of stem near the ground surface splits open lengthwise owing to ice formed between sapwood and bark under the continuous freezing by the effective low temperature (about-3 to-5°C). The bark split recovers with growth of the callus in case of the slight damage but if it is severe, the plant weakens gradually and will finally die.2. From the observations of recovering process after the injury, the symptoms of the occurrence of the injury were classified in three different types : a) the bark of stem near the ground surface splits lengthwise, b) the bark separetes from sapwood without the bark split and c) the cambial tissue becomes brownish without the bark split.In the case of b) and c), the injury remains as a frost-ring on the stem.3. Both the cold injury during midwinter and the bark splitting injury in late autumn or early winter cause the young plants to be seriously damaged. The reasons for the above are as follows : 1) the root systems of young plant are poor, 2) the stems of young plant are scarcely protected from low temperature by their own leaf layer and 3) the acquiring time of the herdiness of young plants is late because they grow actively till late autumn.4. The minimum air temperature at about five centimeter above the straw mulch on fine days in Chiran, where the injury occurred frequently and severely, was 6 °C lower than that of Makurazaki, where no injury occurred, while the mean and maximum air temperature of both sites were almost same.So the primary climatic factor responsible for the occurrence of the bark splitting injury in Chiran is assured to be sudden down of the minimum air temperature at the first frost in autumn.5. The minimum air temperature in the field mulched with the straw was lower than that of non-mulched field, and the mulching kept the soil temperature high in night. These effects were remarkably great on fine day. Therefore, it was considered that the straw mulch promoted the bark splitting injury because of the high soil moisture, the high soil temperature and the low air temperature near the mulch surface at the frosty night.And then, it was also pointed out that the average of the minimum temperature for ten days before the first autumn frost was higher in the injury years and places than in the normal ones.

THE OCCURRENCE OF MULTIPLE FRUITING LATERALS AT SINGLE NODES OF RASPBERRY CANES

SummaryRaspberry canes frequently have several buds at a node, but it was found that the ability of more than one to develop into a fruiting lateral was influenced by several genetic and non‐genetic factors. Cane diameter was important: a high diameter favoured the production of multiple laterals at a node but reduced the percentage of lateral‐bearing nodes. Consequently, overall lateral production remained nearly constant over a range of cane diameters. Cultivar Glen Clova and other genotypes with a high incidence of multiple laterals were used as donor parents of multiple lateral production in a breeding programme and were shown to transmit the character through genes acting in an essentially additive way. Genes affecting cane diameter contributed to these genetic differences but genotypes differed in their response to cane diameter variation. Gene L1 reduced the incidence of multiple laterals. Frost injuries checked the primary laterals and induced a very high incidence of multiple laterals; performance in a frost year may not be related to performance in other years.It is concluded that multiple laterals are a yield component of only limited value. Their potential for increasing yield is rarely fully realized because reduction in other yield components tends to be associated with their development except when cane diameters are very large.

Frost Injury in Wheat: Ice Formation and Injury in Leaves

Freezing of water in leaves of a number of wheat cultivars was studied using pulsed nuclear magnetic resonance (n.m.r.) spectroscopy; these data were coordinated with measurements of the temperature dependance of freezing injury, and used to analyse the freezing process and its effects. The freezing temperature which resulted in 50% loss of cell electrolytes on thawing. T50, varied from -7 to -12.1°C in the material studied. Hardening treatments decreased T50 by 1.8° in the least hardy cultivar, Kite, and 3.3° in the most hardy cultivar, Cheyenne. Despite the contrast in hardiness level, freezing curves determined by n.m.r. were similar, the fraction of water remaining unfrozen, LT/L0, at temperature T having the relationship LT/L0 = ΔTm/T + b, where LT, L0 are the amounts of liquid water per unit dry weight at T and 0�C, respectively, ΔTm is the melting point depression and b the liquid water that does not freeze. The freezing curves were similar because ΔTm varied little among hardy and less hardy samples. At their T50, the least hardy sample of Kite had lost 77.2% of its freezable water to extracellular ice at - 7°C, whereas the corresponding value for the hardy Cheyenne was 86.8% at its T50 of - 12.1°C. Greater hardiness in samples was closely associated with an ability to withstand greater amounts of freeze-induced dehydration, and not with alterations in °Tm.

Yield and Maturity of ‘Concord’ Grapes following Spring Frost1

Abstract Severe frost injury was incurred about full swell on one group and about 4th leaf on another group of ‘Concord’ (Vitis labrusca L.) vines where sprinkling was interrupted during the night. The wet tissues were less cold resistant than dry tissues. Yield was reduced 22% by the early frost, 52% by the later frost. Bloom was delayed 10 days by the early frost, 18 days by the later frost. At harvest the berries were larger than non-frosted on the early-frosted vines and equal in size on the late-frosted vines. Color and soluble solids were lower on the frosted vines.

Pollination Effects on Fruit and Seed Development in ‘Comice’ Pear1

Abstract Cross-pollination increased fruit set, fruit size and seed content of ‘Cornice’ pear (Pyrus communis L.) in 3 large orchards without pollenizers. Supplemental self-pollination was equivalent to open pollination in its effect on fruit set and size. Low female fertility of ‘Comice’ could not be accounted for by early ovule degeneration or frost injury. Pollen transfer by bees was observed to be low in 2 orchards, with 36 and 41% of seedless fruit the result of open pollination. In comparison, only 6% of open-pollinated fruit were seedless in the orchard of greatest bee activity. Seedlessness was due to seed abortion during early fruit development. Classification of aborted seeds as to size at time of abortion revealed that in most fruits a minimal amount of seed growth occurs, although fruit retention does not require the presence of fully developed seeds. Fruit size was positively correlated with seed content, although this relationship was less pronounced in fruits with high seed count. The importance of seed development before abortion and of fully developed seeds in fruit set as well as fruit size is shown.

A New Tea Variety for Green Tea "Ooiwase"

A new tea variety named "Ooiwase" is a clone suitable for green tea. It was bred by the Cultivation Laboratory of Shizuoka Tea Experiment Station and was adopted as a recommended variety of Shizuoka prefecture in February, 1977. "Ooiwase" originated from the F, hybrid of "Yaeho" (the superior early variety) ×"Yabukita" (the superior medium variety)."Ooiwase" is a early variety with a intermediate growth habit and numerous shoots. The sprouting time of this variety is about ten days earlier, and the plucking time is about five days earlier than those of "Yabukita", respectively.The superior characteristics of this variety are vigorous growth, high yield and fine quality. The yield is greater than that of "Yabukita", and its quality is as good as that of the "Yabukita" and it is the best among early varieties and clones. Cuttings of this variety root readily and show good growth after rooting and planting.The warm areas of Tokai, Kinki and Kyushu regions are adapted to cultivation of this variety. As "Ooiwase" is a early variety, the cultivation is recommended in the warm areas where the tea plant rarely suffers from frost injury or in frostless zones.One case of the varieties combination for the rational management of the tea industry is as follows ; a early variety "Ooiwase"-a medium variety "Yabukita" - a slightly late variety "Kanayamidori"- a late variety "Okumidori".

On the Reality of Frost Injury in North District of Iwate Prefecture, in July 1976 and Problems of the Future

On the Reality of Frost Injury in North District of Iwate Prefecture, in July 1976 and Problems of the Future

A Frost Cabinet of Radiative Type for Frost Injury Studies

The intensity of frost varies with differences in microtopography and vegetation. In addition, the grade of frost damage to plants varies considerably with their physiological state and the rates of cooling and forming and melting of frost. Therefore, it is difficult to establish relations between microclimate and frost damage only from the field observations. Many laboratory experiments on the frost damage were done with environmental control apparatuses. Most of them, however, cooled plants by the air of low temperatures, whereas the frost under natural conditions results from the radiative heat loss of plants.The authors constructed a new simple apparatus which was able to lower the leaf temperature below air temperature by the heat of longwave radiation and consequently to form frost on leaf (Figs. 1 and 2). This apparatus, a “frost cabinet”, was set up in an air-conditioned room at 3 to 5°C. Its principle of operation is that a leaf set in the crop chamber at the upper part of the frost cabinet is held in radiative equilibrium with the ceiling of the chamber and with the surface of the cooling plate at the bottom. The temperature of the leaf is controlled by changing the temperature of the cooling plate with the ceiling kept at a given temperature. The amount of water vapor in the crop chamber is regulated through the temperature of the water vessels located near the ceiling.In the experimental setup a plant is hung upside-down from the ceiling. For the preliminary experiment reported in this paper, however, a wet filter paper covered with thin plastic film was used as a model leaf and placed horizontally in the crop chamber. The temperature of the model leaf was found to be several degrees lower than the air temperature (Fig. 4). The relation between beginning time of freezing after onset of cooling and height of leaf above the cooling plate is shown in Fig. 6. The vertical gradient of air temperature in the crop chamber becomes progressively small with height above the cooling plate (Fig. 3). A little variation of the leaf temperature was found with height above the cooling plate (Fig. 7).At a freezing point the leaf temperature rose sharply as a consequence of the latent heat release, as indicated by a fine arrow in Fig. 4. In the course of freezing the temperature reached an extremal value and then decreased in a manner depending on the amount of water contained (Fig. 5). The temperature in the water vessels had a good correlation with beginning time of the leaf freezing, which was affected directly by the amount of the latent heat and the sensible heat transport to the model leaf (Fig. 8).From the results described above, it is recognized that this cabinet can be effectively used for examining frost damages to plants. Its effectiveness will enlarge if developments in the following points are made;1) influence of the upside-down setup of a plant on the physiological functions and 2) improvement of the revolving wiper to remove frost on the cooling plate.

Erwinia herbicola: A Bacterial Ice Nucleus Active in Increasing Frost Injury to Corn

Erwinia herbicola: A Bacterial Ice Nucleus Active in Increasing Frost Injury to Corn

Wheat frost injury — freezing stress and photosynthesis

Although the lethal consequences of radiation frosts on wheat plants have been well described, effects of sublethal freezing have received little study. In this paper, studies of injury to leaves caused by freezing, and its influence on photosynthesis after thawing, are reported. Glasshouse-grown plants of three spring wheats were frozen at several temperatures in the range 0 to –4.5°C and their reaction to freezing stress measured. Injury to leaves caused by freezing stress was found to range from no damage to death over a temperature interval of 2°. Upper leaves were more resistant than lower, and the cultivar Z501 was found to be hardier by about l� than either Timgalen or Gamut. Net photosynthesis by whole plants in the period after thawing was reduced to levels as low as 30° of normal rates following mild stress, recovery to normal rates occurring by the following day. Severely stressed plants failed to recover over a 3 day period. Stomatal resistances were unaffected by low to mild freezing stress and could not explain the large reductions in photosynthesis rate following these stresses. The results have been discussed in relation to the underlying mechanisms, and to their implications for field crops.

On the mechanisms of frost injury and frost hardening of spruce chloroplasts

Hill reaction and noncyclic photophosphorylation of isolated class C chloroplasts of spruce (Picea abies (L.) Karst.), as well as (14)CO2 fixation by whole needles at constant laboratory conditions proceeded at high rates during spring and early summer, declined during late summer and autumn by about 60%, remained at this level during winter, and recovered quickly in early spring. During summer, the whole needles proved to be frost labile, since after exposure to-20°C and careful thawing, fast chlorophyll degradation occurred. In addition, only photosynthetically inactive chloroplasts could be isolated from those precooled needles. On the contrary, during winter the photochemical activities of plastids from freshly harvested needles did not differ from those of artificially frozen-thawed needles. When isolated spruce chloroplasts were exposed to the same subfreezing temperatures as the whole needles, no influence of freezing on the photochemical activities was observed, irrespective of whether the plastids were isolated from frost sensitive or frost hardened needles. It is concluded that frost damage to spruce chloroplasts is due to an attack of membrane toxic compounds or lytic enzymes which were liberated upon freezing from more labile compartments. Frost hardening of the chloroplasts, as determined by the stability of chlorophyll after exposure of the needles to low temperatures, as well as by the isolation of photosynthetically active chloroplasts from such precooled needles, appeared to depend at least on 2 processes: (i) an alteration of the composition of the photosynthetically active membranes and (ii) and additional stabilization of these membranes by protecting substances. The first process was indicated by a large increase (decrease) of the capability of isolated chloroplasts for PMS-mediated photophosphorylation which accompanied natural or artificial frost hardening (dehardening). Production of cryoprotecting compounds was suggested by a significant higher stability against NaCl observed with class C chloroplasts isolated from frost hardened needles as compared to that of plastids from frost labile material. The decrease of the capability for both, the ferricyanide dependent photoreactions of the plastids and the CO2 fixation by whole needles, which was observed during the frost hardening phase, cannot be due to freezing injuries; it rather appears to be a consequence of the frost hardening process.

A study of a subalpine woodland‐grassland boundary

AbstractReasons for the absence of trees on flat valley‐bottoms in the subalpine regions of south‐eastern Australia were studied at Seventeen Flat near Currango and other sites in the Snowy Mountains of New South Wales.Temperature changes with height above terrain were measured at grassland and woodland sites by thermistors attached to a hydrogen‐filled balloon. The occurrence of nocturnal temperature inversions above grassland was established.Minimum temperatures at 80 cm above ground were recorded for thirty‐one weeks at thirteen stations along a transect across the grassland and extending into the woodland on either side. Minima were lower and frequency of temperatures below—9°C were higher in grassland than in woodland.Seedlings of subalpine woodland species and other eucalypts were planted at both grassland and woodland stations. At grassland stations seedlings of tree‐line species showed frost injury within a short time from planting and none survived two winters.The death of planted trees at grassland stations, the high frequency of temperature inversions and the low minima recorded on grassland compared with woodland suggest that temperature is a primary cause of the absence of trees in grasslands below subalpine woodlands.

A Proposal on the Mechanism of Frost Injury of the Cultivated Plants

A Proposal on the Mechanism of Frost Injury of the Cultivated Plants

Frost injury to wheat stems and grain production

Wheat plants which had suffered frost injury to stems in the field were studied to determine the effects on grain production. Damage was also induced artificially by freezing sections of stems of plants growing outdoors and in the glasshouse. Stem injury caused lodging or death of some tillers, and reduced the number of grains set in others. However, on many occasions, even in the field, there appeared to be no association between damage to stems and grain production. In no case was the size or composition of the grains significantly affected.

Researches Regarding Frost Injury on Tea Plant in Shizuoka Prefecture in 1972

Researches Regarding Frost Injury on Tea Plant in Shizuoka Prefecture in 1972

The Actual Survey of Frost Injury on the Tea Field in the Spring 1972

1. In the spring 1972, the frost injury in the tea field was very severe and it covered wide areas. We carried out an actual survey on the influence on the shoot growth, yield and the price of tea after the injury, and the effects of several preventive measures were researched as occured.2. The frost injury occured all over the country, especially on 2nd, 3rd and 10th April and 3rd May. And the minimum air temprature was -6.0°C at Miyazaki and Nagano prefecture. Therefore, the plucking time of first crop was delayed and the yield of tea was decreased everywhere, accordingly the earning was decreased though the price of tea was dear slightly.3. The degree of injury differed with the condition of locality and the type of cultivation in the tea field. But the relations between these conditions and the injury did not differ when compared with previous survey.4. On the preventive measure of the frost injury in the tea field, the protection methods by covering, heating and fog were adopted from old times, but in addition to these methods the protections by the wind machines and the application of water were used.As the frost protection by covering was effective, the practice of using chemical fibre cloth for protection became more extensive. But when the air temperature was dropped extremely the effect was not perfect though the growth of new shoots after the injury was more rapid than non-covering ones. The protections by the wind machines and the application of water were effective, but they had some doubtful points to the practical use. The protections by heating and fog were not effective.