Photosynthetic Acclimation to Cold as a Potential Physiological Marker of Winter Barley Freezing Tolerance Assessed under Variable Winter Environment

Abstract

Winter‐hardiness is a complex trait limiting cultivation of winter barley (Hordeum vulgare ssp. vulgare) with respect to the regions of temperate climate. In the present studies, we verified whether inexpensive and fast physiological markers characterizing photosynthetic acclimation to cold may provide robust characteristics of winter barley genotypes for improved frost resistance. Freezing tolerance of 28 winter barley varieties and advanced breeding lines were tested for three winters in field‐laboratory experiment and under fully controlled conditions. To increase the environmental variability of freezing tolerance, a part of the plants were also de‐acclimated under semi‐controlled conditions and re‐acclimated in laboratory before freezing tests. After controlled cold acclimation, apparent quantum yield of photosystem II (Fv/Fm) as well as photochemical (qP) and non‐photochemical (NPQ) coefficients of chlorophyll fluorescence quenching were studied. Field‐laboratory method assessment of freezing tolerance gives distinct and even opposite results in subsequent years. Also de‐acclimation interacted with growth conditions in the field, giving different rankings of genotypes each year. The results obtained suggest that high level of freezing tolerance measured in laboratory, which is connected with photosynthetic acclimation to cold may be not sufficient for the expression of field resistance, especially when winter conditions are not favourable for cold acclimation.

Physiological adaptive mechanisms of plants grown in saline soil and implications for sustainable saline agriculture in coastal zone

“…1). O-J-I-P transient has been accepted as a reliable and popular tool in photosynthetic research, especially to study PSII behavior in recent years (Wen et al 2005;Strauss et al 2007;Toth et al 2007;Yang et al 2007;Chen et al 2008;Rapacz et al 2008;Yan et al 2008Yan et al , 2011Li et al 2009;Mehta et al 2010;Rapacz et al 2010;Jedmowski et al 2013). O, J, I and P are a sequence of phases in the kinetics of fast fluorescence rise, and environmental stress often provokes the occurrence of K phase in this transient, suggesting the damage to oxygen-evolving complex in donor side of PSII (Strasser et al 2004).…”

Evaluation of freezing tolerance of winter wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) under controlled conditions and in the field

“…Variation coefficients for winter hardiness was 13.3% and 3.5% in 2010-2011 and 2011-2012, respectively, suggesting a powerful interaction between the genotypes investigated and weather conditions. Different ranking of genotypes each year in the field-laboratory experiments depends on the interaction between de-acclimation and growth conditions (Rapacz et al, 2008). At the end of the first decade of February 2011 a strong thaw was followed by the cold period (minimal day temperatures dropped to −20ºC) with almost no snow cover.…”

“…Evaluation of frost tolerant cereal genotypes under field conditions is very complicated, as winter hardiness is a complex trait. The field-laboratory method requires considerable space in freezing chambers and depends on many factors including freezing-thawing cycles, snow and ice cover, rainfall, physiological drought that may affect sample under field conditions before being transferred to controlled conditions (Fowler, Gusta, 1979) and gives distinct and even opposite results of freezing tolerant genotypes each year (Rapacz et al, 2008). Frost tests in a controlled environment are more reproducible and many freezing temperatures can be applied in experiments run in growth chamber in order to differentiate the cereal genotypes on the basis of frost resistance .…”

“…Frost tests in a controlled environment are more reproducible and many freezing temperatures can be applied in experiments run in growth chamber in order to differentiate the cereal genotypes on the basis of frost resistance . However, the assessment of frost resistance under controlled conditions is not related directly to factors limiting plant survival in the field-laboratory method (Rapacz et al, 2008). There are many methods to evaluate frost test and identify frost tolerant/susceptible plant genotypes.…”

“…One of these methods is determination of the maximum quantum yield of the photosystem II (PSII) photochemistry by the ratio of variable to maximal fluorescence in dark-adapted state (Fv/Fm). Fv/Fm analysis is proposed as a rapid method for evaluating frost tolerance in cereals like oat (Rizza et al, 2001), wheat (Rapacz, Wozniczka, 2009) and barley (Rapacz et al, 2008). However, it remains unclear whether this screening method is applicable to local winter wheat breeding programs with highly variable overwintering conditions during the last decade.…”