Assessment of Chilling Stress Effects on Physiological and Biochemical Attributes and Gene Expression on ‘Abbas Ali’ Pistachio Cultivar

Winter frost damage or spring-cold is one of the most important indicators for choosing fruit orchards. Pistachio is sensitive to late-spring frost and cold injury may occur when temperatures rapidly decline. In this study, some physiological characteristics and some of the genes that play a role in frostbite-induced temperature hypersensitivity such as CLO, ICE۱, and Dehydrin were evaluated. The results revealed that physiological parameters such as proline, ion leakage, and some enzymes affecting the cold stress tolerance such as catalase, superoxide dismutase, and ascorbate peroxidase as expected increased in organs (flower and fruit) under temperature treatment. Statistically, the amount of soluble sugar, ion leakage, and proline (P value<۰.۰۱) were different in organs (flower and fruit) under temperature treatment, with the highest amount observed in flower and fruit at -۲°C. The highest amounts of chlorophyll were obtained at ۲°C in the flower organ. The highest concentration of catalase, superoxide dismutase, and ascorbate peroxidase enzyme was found in flowers at ۰°C. The highest level of gene expression occurred with steep slopes in the CLO gene at -۲°C and in the flower organ. Meanwhile, the lowest level of gene expression across all ۲۴ tested groups was related to the CLO gene in the fruit organ at ۴°C. In conclusion, we can state that the cold response of pistachio is substantially different under various conditions. Generally, temperature decline caused accelerated and enhanced gene expression, and at higher temperature, down-regulation of gene expression prevailed.

کلیدواژه ها:

abiotic stress ، Antioxidant Enzymes ، cold damage ، proline ، soluble sugars spring frosts