Physiological and Biochemical Responses of Plants to Chilling Stress

Abstract Various physiological and biochemical alterations occur in response to chilling stress in plants. The extent of these alterations and the ability of the plant to withstand these alterations determine whether the plant is sensitive or resistant to chilling at that temperature. Information concerning the physiological and biochemical responses of plants to chilling stress has been accumulating rapidly during recent years. However, when one looks into the literature, it does not take long to realize that there is no general consensus on a number of issues. Although some of the conflicting or contradicting points have been clarified by recent findings, there are still some ambiguous areas awaiting to be resolved. Some examples of these controversial issues are: a) the importance of bulk membrane lipid composition in determining the chilling sensitivity, b) the interference of energy production and utilization in tissues by chilling, c) the relationship of membrane permeability to chilling, and d) the capacity of water oxidation in photosystem II as affected by chilling.