Journal
ANNALS OF BOTANY
Volume 96, Issue 2, Pages 331-335Publisher
OXFORD UNIV PRESS
DOI: 10.1093/aob/mci167
Keywords
freezing tolerance; crown tissue; oat; Avena sativa; carbohydrates; fructan; apical meristem
Categories
Ask authors/readers for more resources
Background and Aims Contradictory results in correlation studies of plant carbohydrates with freezing tolerance may be because whole crown tissue is analysed for carbohydrates while differences exist in the survival of specific tissue within the crown. The aim of this study was to see if carbohydrate changes in tissue within oat crowns during second phase hardening (sub-zero hardening) are tissue specific. Methods The lower portion of oat ( Avena sativa) crowns was exposed to mild grinding in a blender and the remaining crown meristem complex, consisting of tough root-like vessels, was ground in a device developed specifically for grinding cereal crown tissue. Carbohydrates were extracted by water and measured by HPLC. Carbohydrate concentrations were compared in the two regions of the crown before and after hardening at sub-zero temperatures. Key Results Fructan of all size classes except DP > 6 decreased during sub- zero hardening in both stems ( base of leaf sheath) and crown meristem complex. Total simple sugar increase, including sucrose, was significantly higher in the crown meristem complex than in the stem. Conclusions Results support the hypothesis that carbohydrate change in mildly frozen plants is tissue specific within crowns and underscore the need to evaluate specific tissue within the crown when correlating the biochemistry of plants with freezing tolerance.
Authors
I am an author on this paper
Click your name to claim this paper and add it to your profile.
Reviews
Recommended
No Data Available