Response of sweet cherry buds and twigs to temperature changes - evaluated by the determination of the degradation and synthesis of sucrose

• Published in: Horticultural science (Praha) 2021-01, Vol.48 (4), p.149-157
• Main Authors: Götz, Klaus-Peter, Chmielewski, Frank-Michael
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: air temperature; Buds; Carbohydrates; Cold; Degradation; Fruits; Low temperature; Metabolites; Orchards; Prunus avium; prunus avium l; saccharides; Sucrose; Synthesis; Temperature; Trees; twigs; Winter
• ISSN: 0862-867X; 1805-9333
• DOI: 10.17221/123/2020-HORTSCI

This study was undertaken to determine the degradation and synthesis of sucrose (Suc) in sweet cherry buds and the twig tissue response to a sequence of environmental temperature changes (cold (orchard) – warm (controlled temperature of ∼22 °C) – cold (orchard)). The results of two years’ (2016, 2017) findings were compared with the buds of trees and the buds of twigs in November/December in northeast Germany. The Suc content in the buds of trees and the buds of twigs under natural conditions was stable. Temperatures of ∼22 °C resulted in a significant (Suc) degradation (62%, from 39 to 15 mg/g DW) in the buds of twigs after 21 days (day of the year (DOY) 340). The significant re-synthesis (66%, to 25 mg/g DW after 21 days, DOY 361) in the orchard is noteworthy, and highlights the Suc value as a cryoprotective saccharide. The marked changes in the Suc, glucose, and fructose contents of the twigs exposed to a cold-warm-cold sequence (< DOY 319, DOY 319–340, DOY 340–361), lead to the conclusion that this adaptation is the result of tissue- and cold-specific sucrose invertases/synthases. The effect of low-temperature-active enzymes explains the role of Suc in the buds of trees during the winter rest. When using twigs for plant physiological examinations during the winter rest, results on a metabolite level should be considered when drawing conclusions concerning the overall tree physiology.