Proceedings of the XLVI Italian Society of Agricultural Genetics - SIGA Annual Congress

Giardini Naxos, Italy - 18/21 September, 2002

ISBN 88-900622-3-1

Poster Abstract - 4.23

Validation of a chlorophyll fluorescence-based method for selection for winterhardiness in cereals

Rizza F.*, crosatti C.*, Pagani D.*, Francia E.*, Pecchioni N.*, Galiba G.**, Cattivelli L.*

*) Istituto Sperimentale per la Cerealicoltura, Via S. Protaso 302, 29017 Fiorenzuola d’Arda (PC)

**) Agricoltural Institute of the Hungarian Academy of Science (Martonvasar, Hungary)

chlorophyll fluorescence, frost tolerance, Hordeum vulgare

The level of frost tolerance of a large number of barley genotypes has been evaluated, after freezing tratments, by the ratio of variable to maximum chlorophyll fluorescence, F_v/F_m, which is a measure of the photochemical efficiency of PSII. The measurements have been done on cold-hardened plants at first leaf stage according to Rizza et al.(2001) immediately after stress and after 24h of recovery under optimal growth conditions.

The frost tolerance assessed trought F_v/F_m analysis have been compared with the results obtained by field and laboratory evaluations in two independent experiments:

300 genotypes representing a world collection of winter barley cultivars have been evaluated for winter survival during three years in fields trials located in different european countries; a group of 33 barley genotypes, including the most resistant has been selected on the basis of field data and further analysed by F_v/F_m after freezing in growth chamber. A group of seven highly resistant genotypes has been individuated.

A population of 101 double haploids derived from the ‘Nure’(winter, frost resistant) x ’Tremois’ (spring, susceptible) cross has been analysed. The distribution frequency for survival after freezing has been recorded in a controlled environment (phytotron) at the Agricultural Institute of the Hungarian Academy of Science (Martonvasar, Hungary) according to Galiba et al., (1995). These data compared with our analysis showed that the genetic bases of frost resistance evaluated by F_v/F_m coincided with the genetic bases of resistance evaluated as frost survival suggesting that the genetic mechanisms controlling frost tolerance are the same of those expressing F _v/F_m.

The high level of reproducibility of the experiments based on the measurement of F_v/F_m ratio and the good correlation with the results obtained by independent evaluations, both under field and laboratory conditions, shows that this method may represent an useful tool to discriminate genotypes for frost tolerance, especially when a large number has to be evaluated.

Rizza F., Pagani D., Stanca AM, Cattivelli.L. Plant Breeding 120 (5): 389-396 (2001)

Galiba G., Quarrie SA, Sutka J, Morgounov A, Snape JW. Theor. Appl. Genet. 90: 1174-1179 (1995)