The frost hardiness of many plants such as chickpea can be increased by exposure to low non-freezing temperatures and/or the application of abscisic acid (ABA), a process known as frost acclimation. Experiments were conducted to study the response over a 14 d period of enriched plasma membrane fractions isolated from chickpea plants exposed to low temperature and sprayed with exogenous ABA. Mea...

The process of vernalization is mainly controlled by two genes in winter barley (Hordeum vulgare L.), VRNH1 and VRNH2. A recessive allele at VRNH1 and a dominant allele at VRNH2 must be present to induce a vernalization requirement. In addition, this process is usually associated with greater low-temperature tolerance. Spanish barleys originated in areas with mild winters and display a reduced ...

The enhancement of winter hardiness is one of the most important tasks facing breeders of winter cereals. For this reason, the examination of those regulatory genes involved in the cold acclimation processes is of central importance. The aim of the present work was the functional analysis of two wheat CBF transcription factors, namely TaCBF14 and TaCBF15, shown by previous experiments to play a...

In 1989, identical crosses (2-3 females within males) were performed with Picea abies (L.) Karst. in a greenhouse seed orchard at Biri nursery and in an outdoor seed orchard at Huse, 32 km north of Biri. Pollination began 17 days earlier in the greenhouse than outdoors at Huse. The potted grafts in the greenhouse were moved outdoors when the seed cones were no longer receptive. Twelve full-sib ...

against STDs, they are not always used consistently and correctly and are a male-controlled method. The polyurethane female condom shows promise for STD protection as well as contraception, but its use still depends on male cooperation and acceptance. Because of women’s special biological susceptibility to sexually transmitted infection, their often disadvantaged position in gender relations an...

Winter frost resistance (WFR), midwinter frost hardening and frost dehardening potential of Pinus cembra L. were determined in situ by means of a novel low-temperature freezing system at the alpine timberline ecotone (1950 m a.s.l., Mt Patscherkofel, Innsbruck, Austria). In situ liquid nitrogen (LN₂)-quenching experiments should check whether maximum WFR of P. cembra belonging to the frost hard...

Amino acid homeostasis was investigated in frost-resistant barley seedlings under either cold- or freezing-stress conditions. Total free amino acid content varied only slightly, but a substantial conversion of glutamate to gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) was found that was proportional to the severity of the stress. Cold acclimation caused a significant increase in amino acid pools, and induced ...

The timing of life history traits is central to lifetime fitness and nowhere is this more evident or well studied as in the phenology of flowering in governing plant reproductive success. Recent changes in the timing of environmental events attributable to climate change, such as the date of snowmelt at high altitudes, which initiates the growing season, have had important repercussions for som...