Journal of Food, Agriculture and Environment

Cold tolerance of Brassica napus L. as influenced by weather conditions during wintering

Author(s):

Natalija Burbulis ¹*, Vaida Jonytienė ¹, Aušra Blinstrubienė ¹, Ramunė Kuprienė ¹, Vytautas Liakas ², Ilona Vagusevičienė ²

Recieved Date: 2012-05-28, Accepted Date: 2012-09-26

Abstract:

Temperature and water availability are among the most important environmental factors affecting plant growth and development. Cold stress is a major environmental factor that limits the agricultural productivity of plants. As temperatures fall, ice forms in the apoplastic space and cytoplasmic water is drawn from the cells to the growing mass of extracellular ice. To avoid the loss of water, cells of frost-tolerant genotypes accumulate low molecular weight solutes such as proline, sugars and glycinebetaine. Winter rapeseed (Brassica napus L.) is one of the most important oil crops in Lithuania, as well as in other countries. To increase the growing areas, better understanding of the variability in cold tolerance over winter season is needed. The aim of the present work was to investigate the alteration of proline and soluble sugar levels during wintering and to evaluate their influence on the rapeseed cold tolerance. The experiment was carried out in the Experimental Station of Aleksandras Stulginskis University, 2008-2010, with four winter rapeseed cultivars. A correlation between environmental temperature and content of proline and soluble sugars in winter rapeseed tissues was observed. The plasma membrane is considered to be the primary site of freezing injury. The membrane injury for leaf discs was estimated by the electrolyte leakage. Many investigators suggested that the accumulation of compatible solutes in the cytoplasm contributes to freezing survival. We found that proline accumulation in winter rapeseed tissues was correlated with enhanced cold tolerance, whereas accumulation of soluble sugars was not. 

Keywords:

Electrolyte leakage, proline, soluble sugars, temperature

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Journal: Journal of Food, Agriculture and Environment
Year: 2012
Volume: 10
Issue: 3&4
Category: Agriculture
Pages: 277-280

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