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ARS Home » Northeast Area » Kearneysville, West Virginia » Appalachian Fruit Research Laboratory » Innovative Fruit Production, Improvement, and Protection » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #356208
Research Project: Improving Stress and Disease Resistance in Apple Germplasm

Location: Innovative Fruit Production, Improvement, and Protection

Title: Plant cold hardiness in a changing climate

Author
item Wisniewski, Michael
item Livingston, David

Submitted to: Open Access Government
Publication Type: Popular Publication
Publication Acceptance Date: 8/30/2018
Publication Date: 9/10/2018
Citation: Wisniewski, M.E., Livingston, D.P. 2018. Plant cold hardiness in a changing climate. Open Access Government. p. 1-2.

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: The increasing occurrence of extreme weather events due to climate change are inducing severe episodes of freezing injury on our modern cultivars of crop plants, exposing them to temperature events for which they have not been bred to cope with, or for which native plants have not had time to adapt to through selection pressures. Only by recognizing the complexity of cold hardiness as a polygenic trait, defined by both biophysical and biochemical adaptations that impact survival, can progress be made in improving cold hardiness in a changing climate. This will necessitate a strong commitment to conduct cold hardiness research.