Effect of carbohydrate levels under autumn defoliation on cold tolerance during the subsequent flowering season in pear

•The carbohydrate level in pear was reduced by autumn defoliation after harvest.•A high free sugar content in pear flowers reduced low-temperature injury.•Glutamic acid may be related to cold tolerance in pear flowers.•A high level of carbohydrates reduced freezing injury in pear. Freezing injury to...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Scientia horticulturae 2023-01, Vol.307, p.111530, Article 111530
Main Authors: Lee, Kwang-Sik, Ryu, Suhyun, Jeong, Jae Hoon, Cho, Jung Gun, Lee, Seul Ki, Han, Jeom Hwa
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Amino acid
autumn
Carbohydrate
Cold tolerance
Defoliation
Flowering season
free amino acids
fruits
glutamic acid
Pear
pears
sorbitol
spring
starch
total soluble solids
tree growth
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Summary:•The carbohydrate level in pear was reduced by autumn defoliation after harvest.•A high free sugar content in pear flowers reduced low-temperature injury.•Glutamic acid may be related to cold tolerance in pear flowers.•A high level of carbohydrates reduced freezing injury in pear. Freezing injury to the flowers of deciduous fruit trees is being increasingly emphasized in the context of global warming due to low temperatures in spring. The annual accumulation of nutrients is affected by reserves in the organs during tree growth. In this study, changes in the total carbohydrate (TC), total starch (TS), and soluble solid (SS) content of shoots and changes in cold tolerance and free amino acid (FAA) and free sugar (FS) content of flowers were investigated to determine the effects of carbohydrate and FAA levels on the cold tolerance of pear flowers under autumn defoliation. The freezing injury rate of flowers increased with 50% and 100% defoliation at -2.8 °C. The TC, TS, and SS content in one-year-old shoots decreased after 100% defoliation; the TS content was reduced to one-third. Additionally, the FS and FAA content in flowers at the white-bud stage decreased due to defoliation. In particular, the sorbitol and glutamic acid content decreased after defoliation. These results suggest that maintaining carbohydrate levels is necessary to protect the flowers of pear and other deciduous fruit trees from low temperatures during the flowering season.
ISSN:0304-4238
1879-1018
DOI:10.1016/j.scienta.2022.111530