COLD-HARDENING AND MORPHOLOGY OF BARLEY SEEDLINGS IN CONTROLLED AND NATURAL ENVIRONMENTS

Abstract

Three Hordeum vulgare L. cultivars with different capacities for cold-hardening were hardened in controlled environmental chambers and in the natural environment. Six environmental treatments were imposed. The levels of hardiness and the morphological characteristics of the tissue as it hardened were compared among controlled environmental treatments and between the controlled environmental treatments and the field-grown plants. Plants hardened in the controlled environment and the field-hardened plants had similar trends in all characteristics measured; however, controlled environment plants did not harden to the same degree as did plants grown in the field. The cold-hardened plant leaves and aerial crown tissues increased in percentage dry matter, but the roots did not. Total weight of root and crown tissues increased more in hardened plants than in the nonhardened plants. Hardening treatment increased weight of leaf tissue less than other plant parts.