Factors contributing to enhanced freezing tolerance in wheat during frost hardening in the light.

The interaction between light and temperature during the development of freezing tolerance was studied in winter wheat (Triticum aestivum L. var. Mv Emese). Ten-day-old plants were cold hardened at 5 degrees C for 12 days under normal (250 micromol m(-2)s(-1)) or low light (20 micromol m(-2)s(-1)) conditions. Some of the plants were kept at 20/18 degrees C for 12 days at high light intensity (500 micromol m(-2)s(-1)), which also increased the freezing tolerance of winter wheat. The freezing survival rate, the lipid composition, the antioxidant activity, and the salicylic acid content were investigated during frost hardening. The saturation level of hexadecanoic acid decreased not only in plants hardened at low temperature, but also, to a lesser extent, in plants kept under high light irradiation at normal growth temperature. The greatest induction of the enzymes glutathione reductase (EC 1.6.4.2.) and ascorbate peroxidase (EC 1.11.1.11.) occurred when the cold treatment was carried out in normal light, but high light intensity at normal, non-hardening temperature also increased the activity of these enzymes. The catalase (EC 1.11.1.6.) activity was also higher in plants grown at high light intensity than in the controls. The greatest level of induction in the activity of the guaiacol peroxidase (EC 1.11.1.7.) enzyme occurred under cold conditions with low light. The bound ortho-hydroxy-cinnamic acid increased by up to two orders of magnitude in plants that were cold hardened in normal light. Both high light intensity and low temperature hardening caused an increase in the free and bound salicylic acid content of the leaves. This increase was most pronounced in plants that were cold treated in normal light.