Development of methods that allows visualization of freezing behaviors in cold hardy plant tissues and determination of factors contributing to tissue freezing behaviors.

2015 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 23380023
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (B)
• Allocation Type: Single-year Grants
• Section: 一般
• Research Field: Horticulture/Landscape architecture
• Research Institution: National Institute of Agrobiological Sciences
• Principal Investigator: Ishikawa Masaya 国立研究開発法人農業生物資源研究所, その他部局等, 研究専門員 (90355727)
• Research Collaborator: MURAKAWA Hiroki ; KUCHITSU Kazuyuki ; TOYOMASU Takayuki ; IDE Hiroyuki ; ARATA Yoji ; YAMAZAKI Hideyuki ; FUKAMI Reiko ; KURIYAMA Akira ; NADA Hiroki ; ECHIGO Takuya ; Price William S.
• Project Period (FY): 2011-04-01 – 2016-03-31
• Keywords: 耐寒性 / 赤外線サーモビュア / 凍結 / 水 / 可視化 / MRI / 氷核活性 / 氷

Outline of Final Research Achievements

Diversity and mechanisms involved in freezing behaviors of cold hardy plant tissues remain unknown. To address this question, we attempted to develop non-invasive methods that allow visualization of freezing behaviors in plant tissues using MRI and infra-red thermography. These methods enabled to clarify tissue- and species-specific freezing behaviors (freeze autonomously or remain stably unfrozen) and the order of freezing among tissues. These traits were closely related to the distribution of ice nucleation activity (INA), the ability of cause heterogeneous ice nucleation, in the tissues. Tissue INA reached the maximal just before the first autumnal frost and likely functions as the freezing sensor that allows to induce freezing in appropriate places and timing.

Free Research Field

植物生理学