Accumulation of WCS120 protein in wheat cultivars grown at 9°C or 17°C in relation to their winter survival

P>We studied how temperature treatments, at 9 degrees C or 17 degrees C during plant growth under controlled conditions, affected the accumulation of the cold-regulated dehydrin WCS120 in 21 wheat cultivars which had different winter survival rates. Cultivar survival was established using the provocation pot method over three winters. The levels of WCS120 were determined by immunoblot analyses. There was a good correlation between winter survival and the accumulation of WCS120 in the different cultivars of wheat grown under either 9 degrees C or 17 degrees C. Those plants grown at 9 degrees C accumulated higher amounts of WCS120 than did those grown at 17 degrees C. However, all cultivars tested, including the spring variety, accumulated the WCS120 protein at 17 degrees C. These results indicate that the wheat cultivars with higher levels of frost tolerance can be differentiated from the less-tolerant ones by the evaluation of WCS120 protein content in the plants, when grown at temperatures higher than those that are normally used in cold-acclimation treatments.