Metabolic acclimation to low temperature anoxia in cereals

Cold hardened seedlings of winter wheat, but not winter barley show an anaerobic acclimation response in which low temperature flooding increases the survival of plants in subsequent ice encasement at -1 degrees C. Previous flooding increases the level of total adenylates by about 40%, but the level declines throughout the ice exposure whether the plants are flooded or not. Barley shows a faster decline particularly in those plants previously flooded. ATP:ADP ratios increase, or are maintained in wheat plants briefly ice encased after flooding, but not in barley plants so treated. Activity of alcohol dehydrogenase and phosphofructokinase is higher in plants briefly ice encased after flooding indicating an increase in glycolytic rate. Winter wheat administered 35S methionine shows a change in radioactive proteins synthesized in 4 days of low temperature flooding, supporting the physiological evidence of acclimation