Premium
Freezing Resistance and Development of Faba Beans as Affected by Ambient Temperature, Soil Moisture and Variety
Author(s) -
Herzog H.
Publication year - 1987
Publication title -
journal of agronomy and crop science
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.095
H-Index - 74
eISSN - 1439-037X
pISSN - 0931-2250
DOI - 10.1111/j.1439-037x.1987.tb00617.x
Subject(s) - water content , permanent wilting point , agronomy , field capacity , moisture , wilting , dry matter , resistance (ecology) , soil water , biology , horticulture , chemistry , irrigation , ecology , geotechnical engineering , organic chemistry , engineering
Effects of temperature and soil moisture on the development of some plant and leaf traits and of freezing resistance were examined in 5 (6) European varieties of winter faba beans. After pre‐growth at 15 °C for 1 week, temperature was kept either at this level or lowered to 8:2 °C (day might). Soil moisture was maintained at 70‐90 % of or above field capacity, or was allowed to approach wilting point. At 15 °C, specific dry matter content (D.M. per unit area) and water/D.M. ratio were the only traits in the lower expanded leaves (1‐3) that changed markedly with time. Several plant and leaf traits were affected by soil moisture and displayed varietal differences. However, freezing resistance remained unchanged with time and was hardly affected by soil moisture and varieties (Δ R < 0.2 °C). Interestingly freezing resistance and leaf traits were differently expressed in leaves 1‐3 of plants and thus contributed to some low correlations between these items. Likewise at 8:2 °C, only low correlations between leaf traits and freezing resistance were established. They were mainly due to developmental effects and soil moisture, since (i) specific water and D. M. content increased in parallel with freezing resistance (rate ‐ 0.45 °C/day), (ii) leaf traits and freezing resistance were differently expressed in leaves 1 and 2 (i.e. ‐12.5 and ‐13.5 °C) and (iii) low as well as high soil moisture raised freezing resistance (‐0.7°C) and specific D.M. content, but lowered water/D.M. ratio. With the exception of the old French land race Cote ďOr, varietal differences in freezing resistance at 8:2 °C were small (<0.5 °C). Neither in the first nor in the second leaf varietal rank pattern of freezing resistance was consistent with that of other traits and hence no genotypic correlations could be established. On the basis of these data, the usefulness of leaf traits in breeding as indirect criteria for freezing resistance appeared doubtful.