Critical temperature: A quantitative method of assessing cold tolerance

Abstract

Critical temperature (T_c), defined as the highest temperature at which freezing injury to plant tissues can be detected, provides a biologically meaningful and statistically defined assessment of the relative cold tolerance of plant tissues. A method is described for calculating critical temperatures in laboratory freezing studies that use electrical conductivity as a viability assay, using analysis of variance as a means of partitioning variance and estimating error. Evidence presented indicates that critical temperatures are strongly correlated with field assessments of winter injury, sufficiently precise to detect subtle differences in cold tolerance, and highly repeatable from year to year. It is suggested that the critical temperature method of assessing cold tolerance can be extended to a diversity of plant species and studies.

Citation

DeHayes, D.H.; Williams, M.W., Jr. 1989. Critical temperature: A quantitative method of assessing cold tolerance. Gen. Tech. Rep. NE-134. Broomall, PA: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Northeastern Forest Experiment Station. 6 p.