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MATJORD-Program for forskning innenfor jordbruksog matproduksjon

Improved quality and frost tolerance in transplants of vegetables

Awarded: NOK 3.0 mill.

To successfully transplant agricultural species in the spring, hardening prior to transplanting is of great significance. In particular, in situations with fluctuating temperatures common to early spring, low temperature treatment leading to increased col d tolerance prior to transplanting, might be critical for survival. It is well known that cold tolerance can be increased in many species by exposure to a period of low, non-freezing temperature. However, among others in some Brassica species, periods of continuous low temperature tend to promote bolting, thus reducing the quality of the transplants. Preliminary studies show that diurnal temperature drops of two hours appear to result in improved cold tolerance as compared to constant low temperature. It also appears that the cold tolerance is more persistent after temperature drop treatments than after exposure to constant low temperature. It would be worthwhile to further investigate the use of temperature drop as a tool to achieve cold tolerance withou t quality reduction. In greenhouse production, considerable attention has been paid to controlling plant elongation growth by means of diurnal temperature fluctuations. In several species, diurnal temperature drops lead to reduced elongation and thus more compact, robust plants. In this project, we aim to develop methods to improve the quality and frost tolerance of transplants of agriculturally important vegetables such as Brassica species. Specifically, we aim at studying the effects of temperature drop s as compared to constant low temperature on quality-related characteristics of vegetable transplants such as cold tolerance, compact growth and bolting. We also aim to increase our knowledge of the mechanisms underlying the responses of plants to fluctua ting temperatures, as these mechanisms are largely unknown.

Funding scheme:

MATJORD-Program for forskning innenfor jordbruksog matproduksjon