Cold resistance mechanisms in high desert Andean plants

Abstract
Freezing tolerance and freezing avoidance were studied, during the growing season, in plant species from two different elevations (3200 m and 3700 m) in a desert region of the high Andes (29° 45′S, 69° 59′W) in order to determine whether there was a relationship between plant height and cold resistance mechanisms. Freezing injury and supercooling capacity were determined in plants of different height, from ground-level (Adesmia).