Chilling Stress

“Chilling stress is a type of stress in which plants are exposed to low non-freezing temperature
i.e., above 0oC”. Chilling stress is different from freezing stress. Freezing stress is a type of stress
in which plants are exposed to low freezing temperature i.e., below 0 oC.
Its effect on plants vary from species to species. This stress having major impact on plant growth.
Its effects mostly appear on crop plants and many of tropical and sub-tropical plants.

 Classification of plants:
On the basis of tolerance of chilling temperature plants are classified into two types:
1. Chilling Sensitive plants
2. Chilling Resistant plants

1. Chilling Sensitive Plants:

These plants does not tolerate the low temperature. When they are treated with low
temperature, they show many chilling injuries, symptoms and many other cellular changes. It is
known as cold shock. Chilling sensitive plants are mostly found at tropical and sub-tropical region
and some are also found at temperate regions. It include cucumber, strawberry, soybean, tomato
etc. Their sensitivity level also vary from species to species. The sensitivity level of plants depends
upon some factors such as, physiological age, developmental stage, time duration and
temperature. These factors vary in plants such as, one day old maize seedlings are unharmed by
4 days to 4oC, whereas, 3 days old seedlings shows maximum sensitivity.

2. Chilling Resistant Plants:

These plants have the ability to tolerate the low temperature because of many features such as,
they contain higher proportion of unsaturated fatty acids in membrane, and many others.
Acclimation is also a property in which plants after exposure to low create some changes due to
which they can with stand the condition. It is also known as cold hardening such as, they
increases the activity of desaturases, which convert unsaturated fatty acids into saturated fatty
acids ( higher melting point), and maintains the membrane fluidity. They are mostly found at
Polar Regions of higher altitudes. It include cotton, wheat, spinach, rye, barley etc.

 Chilling Injury:
The injuries in plants which are caused by chilling temperature are called chilling injuries. The
most common site which is affected by it is plasma membrane. It changes its permeability and
cause leakage. Similar to this there are many other cellular and metabolic changes in plants and
some other symptoms are also found.

1
 Morphological Changes:
The most common symptoms which are caused by chilling injury are as follows:
 Reduced plant growth
 Wilting of leaves
 Appearance of necrotic areas
 Surface pitting
 Failure of ripening of fruit
 Irregular ripening
 Surface lesions on leaves and fruits
 Abnormal curling, lobbing and crinkling of leaves
 Water soaking of tissues
 Cracking, splitting and dieback of stems
 Vascular browning (yellowing of leaves)
 Increased susceptibility to decay
 Loss of vigor ( potato lose the ability to sprout when chilled)
 Delayed flowering
 Reduced the male and female gametophytes size
 Rubbery texture
 Lignification
 And some other internal breakdown

2
 Cellular and Sub-Cellular changes:
Following are some changes which are caused by chilling:
 Chilling firstly induce changes in membrane structure and composition
 Convert the liquid crystalline phase into solid gel-state
 Decreased protoplasmic streaming
 Electrolyte leakage
 Plasmolysis
 It mainly affects the chloroplast
 Distortion and swelling of thylakoids
 Reduction in the number and size of starch granules
 It may also induce vesicles from the envelope so-called peripheral reticulum, if chilled in
dark.
 In prolonged chilling condition, unstacking of grana and disappearance of envelope
 Mitochondrial swelling and dilatation
 Mitochondria in reduced cristae and transparent matrix
 Mitochondria becomes double in volume
 It also affects condensation of chromatin
 Alteration in the appearance of nucleolus
 Golgi apparatus and Endoplasmic reticulum may also become dilated
 RER is completely disappeared
 Ribosomes are lost from the surfaces
 RER are transformed into SER at early stage of chilling
 Swelling of dictyosomes

3
 Metabolic changes / Physiological Changes:
Following are some metabolic changes induce in plants due to chilling:
 Disruption of the conversion of starch to sugar (amylotytic activity)
 Decreased the CO2 exchange
 Reduction in photosynthesis
 Destruction/degradation of chlorophyll
 Changes the protein conformation
 Disrupt RNA secondary structure
 Lowering of enzyme activity
 Cytoskeleton depolymerization
 Membrane rigidification

 Causes of Chilling Injuries:

Following are some of the causes of chilling injuries:
 The primary cause is the opening of the stomata when the permeability of water
to roots is low.
 The leaves lose water faster than the absorption and become dehydrated.
 In some cases, stomata behave properly at chilling temperature but it is
metabolically injured.
 The decrease in photosynthesis, respiration and fatty acids synthesis may lead to
the chill-starvation of plants.

4
 Chilling Tolerance:
Following are some of the responses of chilling resistant plants when exposed to chilling
temperature:
 There are many stress related proteins which are induced by chilling tolerant such as,
 Dehyrins is a hydrophilic protein which is induced during stress conditions. It protect
the membrane from destabilization and also act as oxygen radical scavenger. Due
to their function they are named so, cold responsive (COR), LTI (low temperature
induced), ERD (early responsive to dehydration).
 Antifreeze proteins, they are induced by chilling and directly interact with ice and
protect from crystallization.
 Cold-shock protein and RNA-binding protein, they help to stabilize the RNA
structure by unwinding the RNA secondary structure which is induced by chilling, in
bacteria RNA chaperons play that role.
 Desaturase enzyme increases and activated by chilling, which protect the membrane
from rearrangement and rigidification.
 Sugars are accumulated during an exposure to chilling. During chilling, ice is initially
formed at apoplastic region which decreases water content in it. For maintenance
water starts moving outside the cell and cause dehydration. For protecting cell from
dehydration sugar start to accumulate inside the cell and bound to water molecules
and membrane and maintain water potential in a cell.
 There are some compatible solutes other than sugar which are comprised of amino
acids and polyamines.
 Chilling exposure also induce oxidative stress. During low temperature enzyme activity
decreases and ROS starts to accumulate. At low temperature catalases and superoxide
dismutase, ascorbate peroxidase induced. Which act as ROS scavenging system and
protect plant from damage.
 These changes in cellular components are due to a transcriptome rearrangement. They
mean that chilling has been perceived and transducted to the nucleus.
 Chilling is not perceived by a single mechanism in plants but at different sensory level,
that are the very biological processes disturbed by the temperature downshift, once
perceived chilling is transducted.
 An increase in cytosolic calcium is the major transducing event that will then regulate
the activity of many signaling components including, phospholipases and protein
kinases. This will end in changing the gene expression.
 The best pathway is the CBF(C-repeat binding factor) pathway.

5
 Summary of chilling stress:

6
 Prevention and Protection:
Following are some methods which are as follows:
 Cold Hardening:
Cold hardening alters the behavior of the stomata so that they close under the same
conditions; the root permeability is also increased. Cold hardening affects the lipid content
of cell membranes and has been found to lower the optimum temperature for
photosynthesis and respiration.
There are also some artificial methods, which are as follows:
1. Soil Banking:
It consists of placing a mound of soil around the tree’s trunk to protect the bud union and
trunk from cold. One of the most efficient cold protection methods for young trees and has
been used with success for many years.
2. Wrapping:
Most tree wraps can be attached anytime during the year and left on the tree throughout
the year or even for several years. Wraps should be properly positioned and fastened around
the trunk for best results. It is important to cover the entire lower trunk, especially at the
base.
3. Sprinkling:
It can be used to moderate temperatures above freezing because of sensible heat in water
and can maintain plant leaf temperature at 1 to 2°C degrees or more. Water applied to aisles
of shade structures or greenhouses increases the moisture content of the air and soil
surrounding the plants, thus slowing the rate of temperature drop. The water absorbs heat
during the day which is released slowly at night.
4. Fogging:
Fog also retards the loss of heat from soil and plant surfaces to the atmosphere. Fog can
provide up to 4°C (8°F) of protection outdoors during radiational cooling. Applying ground
water with an average temperature of 21°C (70°F) to a greenhouse can create a ground fog
if the ground surface is several degrees cooler than the water. The applied water adds heat
to the plant environment and/or buffers temperature change by increased humidity.
Temperatures can be elevated as much as 5°C (9°F) in these unheated structures.
5. Supplementary Heat supply:
a. Air movement method:
Wind machines have been used for many years in citrus and vegetable industries and
recently in the ornamental industry as a means of cold protection. Air movement also helps
distribute and circulate heat added by orchard heaters or other sources.
b. Warm water movement:
Circulation of warm water (43 to 54°C, 110 to 130°F), not hot water, and in enclosed growing
and/or storage areas is effective to prevent cold injuries.

7
 References:

 https://www.slideshare.net/dathancs/cold-stress-in-plants
 https://www.slideshare.net/damini333/chilling-stress-and-its-effect-in-plants
 https://www.researchgate.net/publication/236966118_Signaling_in_Response_to
_Cold_Stress
 https://www.researchgate.net/publication/234169370_Chilling_stress