Chilling tolerance of maize seedlings in the field during cold periods in spring is related to chilling-induced increase in abscisic acid level

Recent studies on chilling tolerance mechanisms in maize revealed a significant positive correlation between genotypic chilling tolerance and chilling-induced accumulation of the stress hormone abscisic acid (ABA) under controlled growth chamber conditions. Based on this and other results, the hypothesis was developed that chilling tolerance in maize is related to the ability to accumulate large amounts of ABA rapidly, as a protection against chilling injury. The objective of the present study was to test this hypothesis under field conditions during natural cold weather periods in spring, which often cause severe chilling injury in maize fields. In two experiments at two locations in Europe with contrasting climates, eight maize genotypes with different genotypic chilling tolerance were cultivated in spring in the field according to agronomic practice for maize. Before and at the end of cold weather periods, ABA levels and water contents were determined in the third leaves. It was found that chilling-tolerant genotypes accumulated higher amounts of ABA during the chilling period than chilling-sensitive genotypes. A significant positive correlation between chilling tolerance and the levels of ABA in the leaves was found. These results support the above-mentioned hypothesis. In contrast to earlier studies performed under growth chamber conditions, the water content in chilled leaves was mostly higher than in non-chilled leaves. The increase in ABA is therefore not attributable to chilling-induced water deficit, but probably to the low temperature itself.