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The influence of photoperiod and temperature on the seasonal (fall to winter) cold acclimation and accumulation of a 25 kDa dehydrin in Rhododendron `Chionoides' was studied by exposing two groups of plants each in the greenhouse or outdoors to either a natural photoperiod (or short days) or an extended photoperiod (or long days) regime. Results suggest that the shortening daylength alone is sufficient to trigger both the first stage of cold acclimation and concomitant 25 kDa dehydrin induction. Exposure of the plants to natural photoperiod and temperatures induced the greatest cold hardiness and 25 kDa accumulation, while exposure to extended photoperiods (long days) and warmer temperatures (in the greenhouse) failed to induce any significant freezing tolerance in leaves. Whereas short days trigger the cold acclimation process initially, low inductive temperatures can eventually replace the photoperiod stimulus. Seasonal accumulation of 25 kDa dehydrin, on the other hand, appears to be predominantly effected by short photoperiods. Data indicated that the leaf water content of outdoor plants maintained under natural photoperiod was lower than that of plants grown under extended photoperiod. This was also true for the greenhouse plants at the first (September) and the last (January) sampling. It is hypothesized that early 25 kDa dehydrin accumulation may be due to short-day-induced cellular dehydration. Accumulation of two other dehydrins of 26 kDa and 32 kDa molecular masses does not appear to be associated with short day (SD)-induced first stage of cold acclimation. Results show that their accumulation may be regulated by low, subfreezing temperatures and may be associated with the second and/or third stage of cold acclimation of `Chionoides' rhododendron leaves.

Loss of freeze tolerance, or deacclimation, is an integral part of winter survival in woody perennials because untimely mid-winter or spring thaws followed by a hard freeze can cause severe injury to dehardened tissues. This study was undertaken to investigate deacclimation kinetics, particularly the timing and speed, of five blueberry (Vaccinium L.) cultivars (`Bluecrop', `Weymouth', `Ozarkblue', `Tifblue', and `Legacy'), with different germplasm compositions and mid-winter bud hardiness levels, in response to an environmentally controlled temperature regime. Based upon bud cold hardiness evaluations in 2000 and 2001, `Tifblue', a Vaccinium ashei Reade cultivar, was one of the least hardy and the fastest to deacclimate; `Bluecrop', a predominantly V. corymbosum L. cultivar, was the most hardy and the slowest to deacclimate; and `Ozarkblue', a predominantly V. corymbosum cultivar but including southern species V. darrowi Camp. and V. ashei, was intermediate in speed of deacclimation. `Weymouth' (predominantly V. corymbosum) and `Legacy' (73.4% V. corymbosum and 25% V. darrowi) were slow to intermediate deacclimators. Deacclimation rates did not correlate strictly with mid-winter bud hardiness. Data suggest that the southern germplasm component V. ashei may be responsible for the observed faster deacclimation whereas both southern species, V. darrowi and V. ashei, may contribute genes for cold sensitivity. Strong positive correlations between stage of bud opening and bud cold hardiness existed in both years (r = 0.90 and 0.82 in 2000 and 2001 study, respectively). Previously identified major blueberry dehydrins, 65-, 60-, and 14-kDa, progressively decreased in their abundance during incremental dehardening in `Bluecrop', `Weymouth', and `Tifblue'. However, down-regulation of the 14-kDa dehydrin most closely mirrored the loss in cold hardiness during deacclimation, and, therefore, may be involved in regulation of bud dehardening. Because differences in deacclimation rate were clearly evident among the genotypes studied, rate of deacclimation of the flower buds of blueberry should be an important consideration in breeding to improve winter survival.