Articles
Simulated spring freezes cause bud abortion and receptacle necrosis in Paeonia lactiflora ‘Festiva Maxima’
Article number
1435_28
Pages
209 – 216
Language
English
Abstract
Sub-zero temperatures during spring freeze events can cause significant losses in North Carolina (NC) cut peony (Paeonia lactiflora Pall.) production fields.
Damaged buds fail to open and internal necrosis is visible in the receptacle.
Two protocols were developed to simulate spring freezes using data from three weather stations surrounding two of the largest NC cut peony producers.
The cultivar Festiva Maxima was subjected to simulated spring freezes as potted plants at two growth stages prior to flowering where the minimum temperatures were either -3 or -6°C for 1 h.
Bud abortion was only observed on peonies at the second growth stage and the highest percentage of buds aborted when simulated freezes had a minimum temperature of -6°C. If freezing occurred, peony shoots always froze from the root system upwards, which was confirmed and visualized using an infrared camera.
Some shoots at both growth stages 2 and 3 remained supercooled (the ability of water to remain below 0°C without ice nucleation) throughout both simulated freezes of -3 and -6°C. Histological sections of a necrotic receptacle depicted air pockets in the receptacle tissue characteristic of ice damage.
Damaged buds fail to open and internal necrosis is visible in the receptacle.
Two protocols were developed to simulate spring freezes using data from three weather stations surrounding two of the largest NC cut peony producers.
The cultivar Festiva Maxima was subjected to simulated spring freezes as potted plants at two growth stages prior to flowering where the minimum temperatures were either -3 or -6°C for 1 h.
Bud abortion was only observed on peonies at the second growth stage and the highest percentage of buds aborted when simulated freezes had a minimum temperature of -6°C. If freezing occurred, peony shoots always froze from the root system upwards, which was confirmed and visualized using an infrared camera.
Some shoots at both growth stages 2 and 3 remained supercooled (the ability of water to remain below 0°C without ice nucleation) throughout both simulated freezes of -3 and -6°C. Histological sections of a necrotic receptacle depicted air pockets in the receptacle tissue characteristic of ice damage.
Authors
N.J. Jahnke, J.M. Dole, D.P. Livingston III, T. Tuong
Keywords
cut flowers
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