Twenty-Four-Hour Induction of Freezing and Drought Tolerance in Plumules of Winter Rye Seedlings by Desiccation Stress at Room Temperature in the Dark

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Abstract
Exposure of seedlings of winter rye (S. cereale L. cv. Puma) for 2 wk or 24 h to desiccation stress (40% relative humidity) at room temperature (21.degree. C) in the dark induced degrees of freezing and drought tolerance in the plumules comparable to those produced by cold conditioning for 2 wk at 3.degree. C. The induction was associated with repression of growth and could not be produced in plumules excised from the seedlings, indicating a requirement for translocation of nutrients from the endosperm. Rapid increase in osmotic pressure, soluble proteins and phospholipids in plumules in association with the development of freezing and drought tolerance and the requirement of endosperm suggested diversion of nutrient from use in extension growth to use in augmentation of protoplasm in plumule cells. Since cold acclimation slowed or arrested growth and is associated with augmentation of protoplasm, the common element in the induction of freezing tolerance by cold and drought may be the necessity for producing a condition of augmented protoplasm and membranes in cells, thus reinforcing a similar conclusion reached from seasonal studies on woody plants.

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