Fluctuations in the Cold Resistance of Apple Twigs During Spring Dehardening1

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Abstract
The relationship of environmental temperature to the cold resistance of apple bark tissue was studied on mature orchard trees in the field during natural spring dehardening and on 3 and 4 year old trees in the containers which were dehardened under controlled conditions. Field studies showed day to day fluctuations in dehardening and rehardening during the spring in each of 2 years. These short term changes in cold resistance were closely related to the air temperatures of the preceding day. In controlled studies, hardy plants during the winter dehardened as much as 15°C in one day in a warm greenhouse, and rehardened 15° in 3 days when they were held at −15°. The dehardening process was only partially reversible. Once dehardening began, the bark did not reharden beyond a certain base level. This base level raised with each successive day of dehardening. The base level usually corresponded to the minimum killing temperature on the day preceding the final day of dehardening.

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