Changes in cold tolerance and the mechanisms of acclimation of photosystem II to cold hardening generated by anther culture of Festuca pratensis × Lolium multiflorum cultivars

Abstract

Summary• Mechanisms of photosynthetic acclimation to cold were investigated on androgenic plants generated from Festuca pratensis × Lolium multiflorum (4x) cultivars Felopa and Sulino and on parental material.• Photosynthetic acclimation and resistance to high-light induced inactivation of PSII at low temperature were studied using chlorophyll fluorescence techniques in relation to winter hardiness, frost resistance and cold acclimation in field and controlled conditions.• In the field increased energy dissipation before winter through a lower maximum quantum yield of PSII was correlated with improved winter survival of these genotypes. In controlled conditions winter hardy plants were more resistant to cold-induced inactivation of PSII. During cold acclimation of winter hardy plants nonphotochemical quenching (NPQ) increased, except in one genotype where photochemical quenching increased.• The use of androgenic lines revealed gene combinations that determined alternative photoinhibition avoidance mechanisms in the parental genome. Increased dissipation of light energy is an alternative process to the increased photosynthetic capacity reported previously to be the main mechanism of photosynthetic acclimation to cold in herbaceous Poaceae . AbbreviationsF 0 , fluorescence of leaves in the dark when all PSII reaction centres are open; , fluorescence in leaves previously exposed to light darkened just before measurement; F v , variable fluorescence ( F v = F m − F 0 ); F m and , fluorescence when all PSII reaction centres are closed in dark-and light-exposed leaves, respectively; F s , steady state fluorescence in light exposed leaves; F v : F m , maximum quantum yield of PSII; PPFD, photosynthetic photon flux density; HL, high-light treatment, RT 50 , temperature causing a 50% reduction in re-growth rate after freezing; PSII, photosystem II; φ PSII current quantum yield of PSII; NPQ, nonphotochemical quenching of chlorophyll a fluorescence; q P , photochemical quenching of chlorophyll a fluorescence; HF and HS followed by a number are the androgenic genotypes derived from F. pratensis ×

Associations of PCR markers with freezing tolerance and photosynthetic acclimation to cold in winter barley

“…This marker was putatively derived from bin12 of 7H chromosome that was not reported as the region of acclimation of photosystem II to cold, and two SNP markers only (scsnp15259, and scsnp05362) located at distal part of 7H were related to LT stress (Rostoks et al 2005). Markers associated with photosynthetic acclimation to cold were also found in bin11 and bin14 region of 5H together with freezing tolerance associated markers confirming association between resistance to freezing and coldinduced photoinhibition observed on the phenotype level in many plant species (Huner et al 1993, Rapacz et al 2004.…”

Androgenesis as a means of dissecting complex genetic and physiological controls: selecting useful gene combinations for breeding freezing tolerant grasses

“…It has been demonstrated conclusively that within such a population it is possible to select plants of different genotypes with contrasting phenotypes responsible for a range of physiological traits found in either of the parent species (Zare et al 2002). Rapacz et al (2004) reported on the relationship between winter-hardiness in androgenic populations derived from Festuca · Lolium hybrid cultivars and their capabilities for the acclimation of their photosynthetic apparatus. A highly significant (P < 0.001) negative correlation between maximum quantum yield of Photosystem II (PSII) (F v /F m ) in the autumn, and subsequent winter survival and spring re-growth was observed.…”

GISH/FISH mapping of genes for freezing tolerance transferred from Festuca pratensis to Lolium multiflorum

“…Well-rooted plants were then transferred to a controlled environment (CE) chamber for pre-hardening (7 days at 121C, 8/16 h photoperiod, and 200 mmol/m 2 s PPFD) and then for cold acclimation (3 weeks at 21C, 10/14 h photoperiod, and 200 mmol/m 2 s PPFD). Plant freezing tolerance was determined by a modified method of that described by Rapacz et al (2004). Cold-acclimated plants were transferred for 24 h to a CE chamber at -21C, 10/14 h photoperiod, and 200 mmol/m 2 s PPFD and then for 20 h in the dark at -41C.…”