Radiant frost is a major abiotic stress, and one of the principal limiting factors for agricultural production worldwide, including Australia. Legumes, including field pea, faba bean, lentil and chickpea, are very sensitive to chilling and freezing temperatures, particularly at the flowering, early pod formation and seed filling stages. Radiant frost events occur when plants and soil absorb the sunlight during the day time and radiate heat during the night when the sky is clear and the air is still. Dense chilled air settles into the lowest areas of the canopy, where the most serious frost damage occurs. The cold air causes nucleation of the intracellular fluid in plant tissues and the subsequent rupturing of the plasma membrane. Among the cool season grain legume crops, chickpea, lentil and faba bean and field pea are the most susceptible to radiant frost injury during the reproductive stages. The more sensitive stages are flowering and podding. Frost at the reproductive stage results in flower abortion, poor pod set and impaired pod filling, leading to a drastic reduction in yield and quality. In contrast, in the UK and European countries, frost stress is related to the vegetative stages and, in particular, the effects of frost have been studied on cotyledon, uni/tri-foliolate leaf and seedling stages during the first few weeks of growth. Few winter genotypes have been identified as frost tolerant at vegetative stages. Vegetative frost tolerance is not related to reproductive frost tolerance, and hybrids from the vegetative frost-tolerant genotypes may not necessarily be tolerant at the reproductive stage. Tolerance to radiant frost has an inverse relationship with plant age. In the field, frost tolerance decreases from the vegetative stage to reproductive stage. Unlike wheat and barley, it is difficult to analyse and score frost damage in grain legume crops due to the presence of various phenophases on one plant at the reproductive stage. The extent of frost damage depends on the specific phenophases on a particular plant. However, current studies on genetic transformation of cold tolerant gene(s), membrane modifications, anti-freeze substances and ice nucleating or inhibiting agents provide useful information to improve our current understanding on frost damage and related mechanisms. The effects of frost damage on yield and grain quality illustrate the significance of this area of research. This review discusses the problem of A. Maqbool Pulses and Oilseeds, South radiant frost damage to cool season legumes in Australia and the associated research that has been carried out to combat this problem locally and worldwide. The available literature varies between species, specific climatic conditions and origin.
