Transcriptome and Metabolome Analysis Revealed the Freezing Resistance Mechanism in 60-Year-Old Overwintering Camellia sinensis

Freezing stress in winter is the biggest obstacle to the survival of C. sinensis in mid-latitude and high-latitude areas, which has a great impact on the yield, quality, and even life of C. sinensis every year. In this study, transcriptome and metabolome were used to clarify the freezing resistance mechanism of 60-year-old natural overwintering C. sinensis under freezing stress. Next, 3880 DEGs and 353 DAMs were obtained. The enrichment analysis showed that pathways of MAPK and ABA played a key role in the signal transduction of freezing stress, and Pyr/PYL-PP2C-SnRK2 in the ABA pathway promoted stomatal closure. Then, the water holding capacity and the freezing resistance of C. sinensis were improved. The pathway analysis showed that DEGs and DAMs were significantly enriched and up-regulated in the three-related pathways of phenylpropanoid biosynthesis, flavone and flavonol biosynthesis, and flavonoid biosynthesis. In addition, the carbohydrate and fatty acid synthesis pathways also had a significant enrichment, and the synthesis of these substances facilitated the freezing resistance. These results are of great significance to elucidate the freezing resistance mechanism and the freezing resistance breeding of C. sinensis.

Machine Learning-Based Hourly Frost-Prediction System Optimized for Orchards Using Automatic Weather Station and Digital Camera Image Data

Spring frosts damage crops that have weakened freezing resistance after germination. We developed a machine learning (ML)-based frost-classification model and optimized it for orchard farming environments. First, logistic regression, decision tree, random forest, and support vector machine models were trained using balanced Korea Meteorological Administration (KMA) Automated Synoptic Observing System (ASOS) frost observation data for March from the last 10 years (2008–2017). Random forest and support vector machine models showed good classification performance and were selected as the main techniques, which were optimized for orchard fields based on initial frost occurrence times. The training period was then extended to March–April for 20 years (2000–2019). Finally, the model was applied to the KMA ASOS frost observation data from March to April 2020, which were not used in the previous steps, and RGB data were extracted by digital cameras installed in an orchard in Gyeonggi-do. The developed model successfully classified 117 of 139 frost observation cases from the domestic ASOS data and 35 of 37 orchard camera observations. The assumption of the initial frost occurrence time for training helped the most in improving the frost-classification model. These results clearly indicate that the frost-classification model using ML has applicable accuracy in orchard farming.

Stored water in the inner bark and sapwood: Atypical patterns of daily discharge and recharge, radial osmotic gradient and freezing resistance

Stored water in inner tissues can affect plant water balance and its freezing resistance. We studied the water storages in the inner bark and sapwood of Araucaria araucana, a species with thick inner bark. Specifically, we analyzed its daily behavior, the driving force to radial water movement and its freezing resistance. The whole-stem water content and diameter and sap flow increased in the morning and decreased in the afternoon. An osmotic gradient between stem tissues was involved in the morning water storage recharge. There were no lags in the onset of sap flow between different stem positions, however sap flow at 6m height was higher than basal sap flow in the afternoon, at the time that sapwood water content started to decline followed by the inner bark. Extracellular freezing was delayed down to -6˚C in the inner bark and to -8˚C in the leaves. The unusual diurnal pattern of internal water use may enhance freezing resistance as a consequence of the lower water content and higher osmotic potential when the lowest temperatures occur. The contribution of stem tissues to daily water use and the pattern of ice nucleation observed make this species less susceptible to drought and very low temperatures.

Freezing resistance evaluation of rose stems during frost dehardening using electrical impedance tomography

BackgroundElectrical impedance tomography (EIT) has rarely been applied in plant science, particularly to study plant resistance to abiotic and biotic stresses. In this study, we evaluated the freezing resistance of floribunda roses (RosaFloribunda) during frost dehardening using the EIT technique to identify a new method for rapid and non-destructive measurement of plant freezing resistance.ResultsThe current was the excitation source, the boundary voltage value was measured, and then the boundary voltage reconstructed value was formed. Using an imaging algorithm, the two-dimensional (2D) distribution of impedance or impedance variation was reconstructed. The EIT reconstructed values decreased obviously with the decline in freezing temperatures. The EIT reconstructed values of stems had the best fit to the logistic equation, and subsequently, the semi-lethal temperatures were calculated. The freezing resistance results evaluated using EIT reconstructed values were linearly correlated with the results of the traditional electrolyte leakage (EL) method (r = 0.93,P < 0.01).ConclusionsIn conclusion, after freezing tests, the reconstructed values of EIT images could be used to quantitatively evaluate the freezing resistance of floribunda rose stems. The present study provides a reference for the further application of the EIT technique for non-destructive and rapid detection of plant freezing resistance.

Low temperature acclimation and legacy effects of summer water deficits in olive freezing resistance

Low temperatures and drought are the main environmental factors affecting plant growth and productivity across most of the terrestrial biomes. The objective of this study was to analyze the effects of water deficits before the onset of low temperatures in winter to enhance freezing resistance in olive trees. The study was carried out near the coast of Chubut, Argentina. Plants of five olive cultivars were grown out-door in pots and exposed to different water deficit treatments. We assessed leaf water relations, ice nucleation temperature (INT), cell damage (LT50), plant growth and leaf nitrogen content during summer and winter in all cultivars and across water deficit treatments. Leaf INT and LT50 decreased significantly from summer to winter within each cultivar and between treatments. We observed a trade-off between resources allocation to freezing resistance and vegetative growth, such that an improvement in resistance to sub-zero temperatures was associated to lower growth in tree height. Water deficit applied during summer increased the amount of osmotically active solutes and decreased the leaf water potentials. This type of legacy effects persists during the winter after the water deficit even when treatment was removed, because of natural rainfalls.