Open AccessDEVELOPMENT OF A TEST FOR FREEZING TOLERANCE IN YOUNG ALFALFA SEEDLINGS
Author(s) -
Yves Cloutier,
L. Pelletier,
R. Michaud
Publication year - 1990
Publication title -
canadian journal of plant science/canadian journal of plant science
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.338
H-Index - 59
eISSN - 1918-1833
pISSN - 0008-4220
DOI - 10.4141/cjps90-036
Subject(s) - seedling , cultivar , freezing tolerance , hardiness (plants) , frost (temperature) , biology , medicago sativa , cold tolerance , horticulture , cold hardening , agronomy , biochemistry , gene , geomorphology , geology
An experiment was conducted to study the effects of seedling age on their ability to harden, and to determine whether cultivar × seedling age interaction could be identified for frost resistance. In the present study, 6- to 24-d-old alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.) seedlings were significantly more freezing-tolerant after cold-hardening than unhardened controls. Cold-hardened seedlings of age varying from 8 to 24 d were hardier than 6-d-old seedlings. No cultivar × seedling age interaction was found. The best separation of the cultivars occurred between 18 and 24 d. These findings provide additional information towards the development of a rapid and reliable test for estimating freezing tolerance in alfalfa.Key words: Freezing test, alfalfa, cold hardiness, seedlings