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Frost Tolerance of Ten Seedling Legume Species at Four Growth Stages
Author(s) -
Meyer D. W.,
Badaruddin M.
Publication year - 2001
Publication title -
crop science
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.76
H-Index - 147
eISSN - 1435-0653
pISSN - 0011-183X
DOI - 10.2135/cropsci2001.1838
Subject(s) - biology , phaseolus , legume , seedling , trifolium repens , sativum , agronomy , pinto bean , melilotus , red clover , frost (temperature) , medicago , sowing , medicago sativa , horticulture , forage , pisum , field pea , botany , biochemistry , geomorphology , gene , geology
Spring frost in cooler regions periodically kills seedling legumes and makes replanting necessary. Experiments were conducted in the growth chamber to determine freezing tolerance of 10 legume species at four growth stages and to determine the freezing temperature that kills 50% of seedlings (LT 50 ) for each species under temperatures more commonly found in the field. Four temperatures (−2, −4, −6, and −8°C), four seedling ages (1, 2, 3, and 4 wk after planting), and 10 legume species [alfalfa ( Medicago sativa L.), red clover ( Trifolium pratense L.), sweetclover ( Melilotus officinalis Lam.), alsike clover ( T. hybridium L.), white clover ( T. repens L.), sainfoin ( Onobrychis viciifolia Scop.), pinto bean ( Phaseolus vulgaris L.), navy bean ( Phaseolus spp.), soybean [ Glycine max (L.) Merr.], and field pea ( Pisum sativum L.)] were included. Hardened (vernalized) seedlings were placed in a programmable freezing chamber at 3°C and the temperature decreased or increased 1°C h −1 to or from a minimum‐freezing temperature. Pinto and navy beans were the least tolerant, soybean and field pea were moderate, and forage legumes were the most tolerant to freezing temperature. The LT 50 was −3.25 to −3.5°C for dry beans, −4.5°C for soybean and field pea, and −6.3 to −7.4°C for forage legumes. One‐week‐old seedlings had the highest tolerance to freezing temperature when close to the LT 50 , compared with older seedlings. However, this tolerance at 1 wk of age disappeared when temperature was lower than the LT 50 of the species. The prediction equation and LT 50 for each species have potential for predicting seedling stand loss after a spring frost, realizing that field validation of these is impossible.