The Cold Hardiness of Flower Buds in Two Apricot Cultivars

摘要

Flower buds are the most frost-sensitive parts of the trees in the cold season, in relation to their phenological and histological stage. For a protective effect, plants activate mechanisms involving many enzymes and antioxidative compounds. In particular, glutathione, the most predominant of the sulfhydryl compounds present in living cells, is involved in many metabolic detoxification processes, that avoid cold stress damage. The purpose of this research was to evaluate the cold hardiness of flowerbuds at different phenological stages and the changes in sulfhydryl compounds in two Italian apricot cultivars. The two cultivars showed a different susceptibility to cold stress as a function of flower bud phenological stage.