Author
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Skinner, Daniel |
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Garland-Campbell, Kimberly |
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Submitted to: Book Chapter
Publication Type: Book / Chapter Publication Acceptance Date: 7/1/2014 Publication Date: 8/6/2014 Citation: Skinner, D.Z., Garland Campbell, K.A. 2014. Measuring freezing tolerance: Survival and regrowth assays. In:Hincha, D.K., Zuther, E., editors. Plant Cold Acclimation. United Kingdom:Humana Press. p. 7-13. Interpretive Summary: Many methods used to evaluate plants for their ability to tolerate freezing temperatures have been used, and numerous methods to analyze the data generated have been proposed. Standardizing the methods will provide a better means to compare results among laboratories. This chapter describes a method of freezing intact plants that results in highly repeatable results, and two alternative methods of analyzing the data, one more applicable to results with high levels of survival; both methods are applicable to results with low levels of survival. Technical Abstract: Screening plants for freezing tolerance under tightly-controlled conditions is an invaluable technique for studying freezing tolerance and selecting for improved winterhardiness. Artificial freezing tests of cereal plants historically have used isolated crown and stem tissue prepared by “removing all plant parts 3cm above and 0.5cm below the crown tissue.” Here, we describe a method of conducting freezing tolerance tests using intact plants grown in small horticultural containers, including suggested methods for collecting and analyzing the data. |
