Cold-deacclimation of oilseed rape (Brassica napus var. oleifera) in response to fluctuating temperatures and photoperiod

The aim of this work was to establish the role of factors that may trigger elongation growth in the dehardening response, namely temperature during daylight, photoperiod and vernalization. Fully cold-acclimated seedlings of winter (with incomplete vernalization) and spring oilseed rape were subjected to deacclimation under temperatures of 2/12, 12/2, 12/12, 12/20, 20/12 and 20/20 degreesC (day/night) and a 12 h photoperiod. Plants were also deacclimated under photoperiods of 8 and 16 h at constant temperatures of 12 and 20 C. After deacclimation, plants were subjected to reacclimation. Results suggest that the level of growth activity induced during deacclimation affects both the deacclimation rate and the capacity for reacclimation. Deacclimation is fully reversible if it is not accompanied by induction of elongation growth. In such cases the rate of the decrease in freezing tolerance depends on the mean temperature of deacclimation. Deacclimation becomes partially or completely irreversible when it is connected with promotion of elongation growth. The stimuli triggering elongation growth during deacclimation may be the growth-promoting temperature (20 C) during the day and the lack of vernalization blockage of elongation growth. When elongation growth was stimulated by other factors such as long-day treatments, rehardening was also disturbed. (C) 2002 Annals of Botany Company.