Hardening of Some Winter Wheat (<i>Triticum aestivum</i> L.), Rye (<i>Secale cereals</i> L.), Triticale (×<i>Triticosecale</i> Wittmack) and Winter Barley (<i>Hordeum vulgare</i> L.) Cultivars During Autumn and the Final Winter Survival in Finland

Abstract

Abstract Profound hardening is the prerequisite for survival of a cultivar over winter. In the present study, hardening abilities of 13 winter wheat, 10 rye, 3 triticale and 6 winter barley cultivars were determined in field samples collected during the autumns of 1990 and 1991 by measuring the amount of ion leakage from frost‐treated leaf segments. The cultivars tested were selected from the Inter‐Nordic Winterhardiness Project, in which Field Survival Indices were determined for a total of 23 winter wheat, 13 rye, 5 triticale and 11 winter barley cultivars in order to estimate winter survival potentials under Finnish conditions. The winter survival of the materials studied correlated well with their hardening ability assessed by using the electrolyte leakage method.