Rice is sensitive to chilling stress, especially at the seedling stage. To elucidate the molecular genetic mechanisms of chilling tolerance in rice, comprehensive gene expressions of two rice genotypes (chilling-tolerant LTH and chilling-sensitive IR29) with contrasting responses to chilling stress were comparatively analyzed. Results revealed a differential constitutive gene expression prior t...

Although an association between chilling tolerance and aquaporins has been reported, the exact mechanisms involved in this relationship remain unclear. We compared the expression profiles of aquaporin genes between a chilling-tolerant and a low temperature-sensitive rice variety using real-time PCR and identified seven genes that closely correlated with chilling tolerance. Chemical treatment ex...

Rice (Oryza sativa L.) is often exposed to cool temperatures during spring planting in temperate climates. A better understanding of genetic pathways regulating chilling tolerance will enable breeders to develop varieties with improved tolerance during germination and young seedling stages. To dissect chilling tolerance, five assays were developed; one assay for the germination stage, one assay...

Plants have varying abilities to tolerate chilling (low but not freezing temperatures), and it is largely unknown how plants such as Arabidopsis thaliana achieve chilling tolerance. Here, we describe a genome-wide screen for genes important for chilling tolerance by their putative knockout mutants in Arabidopsis thaliana. Out of 11,000 T-DNA insertion mutant lines representing half of the genom...

Miscanthus hybrids are leading candidates for bioenergy feedstocks in mid to high latitudes of North America and Eurasia, due to high productivity associated with the C4 photosynthetic pathway and their tolerance of cooler conditions. However, as C4 plants, they may lack tolerance of chilling conditions (0-10 °C) and frost, particularly when compared with candidate C3 crops at high latitudes. I...

A number of abiotic shocks (e.g. heat-shock) applied before chilling have previously been shown to increase the chilling tolerance of cucumber and rice seedlings and of tomato fruit. The subsequent rate of radicle growth after chilling of these seedlings is a sensitive measure of chilling injury as is the subsequent increase in ion leakage from chilled discs of tomato pericarp fruit tissue. Dat...

Salicylic acid (SA) is one component of a complex signalling pathway that is induced by a number of biotic and abiotic stresses. Exposing seedling radicles to aqueous solutions of 0.5 mM salicylic acid for 24 h before chilling at 2.5 degrees C for 1-4 days reduced the chilling-induced increase in electrolyte leakage from maize and rice leaves, and cucumber hypocotyls, but not from their radicle...

Low non-freezing temperature may cause chilling injury (CI), which is responsible for external quality deterioration in many chilling-sensitive horticultural crops. Exposure of chilling-sensitive citrus cultivars to non-lethal high-temperature conditioning may increase their chilling tolerance. Very little information is available about the molecular events involved in such tolerance. In this w...

The aim of the present study was to improve the chilling tolerance of cucumber seedlings. The conditioned seeds in solutions of salicylic or jasmonic acid in concentrations of 10-2, 10-3 or 10-4 M or brassinolide in concentrations of 10-6, 10-8 or 10-10 M were subjected to temperature shock of 0, 2.5, 5, 35, 40 or 45°C for 1, 2 or 4 hours. Seedlings with 3 mm roots were chilled at 0°C for three...