Changes in lipids of cereal seedlings during vernalization

Abstract

Noticeable changes in lipids were observed during growth of Sangaste fall rye, Prolific spring rye, Kharkov winter wheat, and Red Bobs spring wheat, at vernalizing temperature, over a period of 6 weeks. There was, however, little difference between the trends exhibited by the four varieties, apart from the fact that the rye varieties apparently accumulated more linolenic acid than the wheat varieties whereas the reverse was true for linoleic acid. These results suggested that the lipids under study did not play a direct role in the vernalization response, and the changes observed were a result of low-temperature growth.