Rehardening capacity in the shoots and buds of three European pear (Pyrus communis [L.]) cultivars following a warm spell in midwinter

摘要

The rates of dehardening and rehardening in response to rapid temperature changes in winter are important traits that affect the survival, growth and productivity of the European pear (Pyrus communis [L.]) cultivars in northern countries. The frost hardiness (FH) of shoots of three pear cultivars were studied by a series of freezing tests, after sampling in natural conditions, after dehardening in a growth chamber at 5 degrees C for 3-4 days (D1) and 16 days (D2), and then after rehardening at -7 degrees C for 5-7 days (R1 and R2). The FH was assessed by a differential thermal analysis (DTA) to measure the low temperature exotherm (LTE) of shoots, by relative electrolyte leakage (REL) of shoots and by visual damage scoring (VD) of shoots and buds.