COLD HARDINESS OF WINTER WHEAT TILLERS ACCLIMATED UNDER FIELD CONDITIONS
The cold hardiness of tillers separated from the plant immediately before freezing (CTM) or left intact on the crown (ICM) was determined by artificial freeze tests on two sampling dates for four winter wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) cultivars acclimated in the field. Plants with 9 and 13 tillers excluding coleoptile tillers were selected in mid-October and at the end of October, respectively. No differences in lethal dose temperature (LT50) were detected among CTM or ICM tillers sampled in mid-October. The three youngest CTM tillers sampled at the end of October were less cold hardy than older tillers. However, younger CTM tillers did not survive the unfrozen control treatment as well as older tillers. ICM tillers sampled at the end of October had the same LT50 except for one of the older tillers. No correlation was found between either the moisture content or dry weight and the LT50 of tillers. Winter survival of tillers was evaluated for two cultivars in the spring. Tillers of intermediate age and two of the youngest tillers had the highest survival rates. Tiller regeneration from axillary buds rather than the apical meristem occurred following cold stress and was negatively correlated to tiller emergence date. It was concluded that differences in cold hardiness among tillers must be taken into consideration if tillers are utilized to estimate the LT50 of a plant.Key words: Cold hardiness, tillers, winter wheat, Triticum aestivum L., developmental stage, moisture content