ARS | Publication request: CHLOROPHYLL ACCUMULATION CAN BE USED AS AN IN VIVO INDICATOR OF ACQUIRED THERMOTOLERANCE

Submitted to: Plant Physiology
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: June 15, 1996
Publication Date: N/A

Technical Abstract: Plants experience high air and soil temperatures during periods of drought and when fields receive limited irrigation. Plants, like all organisms, respond to elevation in temperature by the acquisition of thermotolerance linked to the synthesis of heat shock proteins (hsp). The acquisition of thermotolerance is of special physiological significance in that it protects organisms unable to escape thermally challenging environments. This report describes an in vivo bioassay for thermotolerance capitalizing on the inhibition of chlorophyll accumulation following a high temperature challenge. An overview will be provided on how to identify plant specific preincubation and challenge temperatures. This technique has been used to identify acquired thermotolerance in cucumber, soybean, cotton, wheat, and Arabidopsis thaliana seedlings.