Introduction Using the Alpha Particle X-ray Spectrometer (APXS) (see Fig.1) on board Spirit and Opportunity rovers on MER mission, we were able to measure the argon density variation in the martian atmosphere as a function of seasonal changes. Due mainly to the variation of the temperature as a function of season on martian poles, the air mass on Mars is constantly moving from North pole to Sou...

Unseeded annual bluegrass (Poa annua L.) is an important component of golf greens in many regions of northern countries. Although this turfgrass species has desirable playing attributes, it suffers from susceptibility to environmental and biological stresses including subfreezing temperatures, anoxia, and snow molds. During the last decade (1999-2008), we undertook a series of experiments to be...

Xylem parenchyma cells (XPCs) in larch adapt to subfreezing temperatures by deep supercooling, while cortical parenchyma cells (CPCs) undergo extracellular freezing. The temperature limits of supercooling in XPCs changed seasonally from -30 degrees C during summer to -60 degrees C during winter as measured by freezing resistance. Artificial deacclimation of larch twigs collected in winter reduc...

Winter rapeseed seedlings are susceptible to low temperature during overwintering in Northwest China, leading reduced crops production. Freezing stress is one of the main environmental stresses China from late autumn early spring, an eventful period for overwinter survival rate winter rapeseed. However, molecular mechanism freezing tolerance formation still very backward In this study, using a ...

We tested the hypothesis that mild winter temperatures are detrimental to the survival and reproductive potential of insects. We measured survival, body size, and potential fecundity of a freeze tolerant insect, the goldenrod gall fly (Eurosta solidaginis), after overwintering in the laboratory for ~3 mo. frozen at -22 degrees C, unfrozen at 0 degrees C, or unfrozen at 12 degrees C. Larvae held...

BACKGROUND weather predictions are a useful tool for informing public health planning and prevention strategies for non-injury health outcomes, but the association between winter weather warnings and fall-related injuries has not been assessed previously. OBJECTIVE to examine the association between fall-related injuries among older adults and government-issued winter weather warnings. METH...

A number of defined desiccation treatments without low temperature exposure were able to induce freezing tolerance in 20 cultivars of winter cereals. A maximal degree of freezing tolerance was induced in epicotyls at 24 degrees C in 24 hours at 40% relative humidity in rye and wheat, 7 days at 54% RH in barley, and 4 days at 70% RH in oats. Freezing tolerance was not correlated to water content...

Agricultural ecosystems are important contributors to atmospheric greenhouse gasses (GHGs); however, in situ winter emission data in saline-alkali fields are scarce. Gas samples were collected during different periods, from three rice (R1–R3) and three maize (M1–M3) fields with different soil pH levels and salinity conditions. Carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions in the rice and maize fields decrease...

To determine whether overexpression of Fe-superoxide (SOD) dismutase would increase superoxide-scavenging capacity and thereby improve the winter survival of transgenic alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.) plants, two genotypes were transformed with the vector pEXSOD10, which contains a cDNA for Arabidopsis Fe-SOD with a chloroplast transit peptide and cauliflower mosaic virus 35S promoter. A novel Fe-...

Alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.) is an important perennial forage, with high nutritional value, which is widely grown in the world. Because of low freezing tolerance, its distribution and production are threatened and limited by winter weather. To understand the complex regulation mechanisms of freezing tolerance in alfalfa, we performed transcriptome sequencing analysis under cold (4 °C) and freez...