Improvement of the chilling tolerance of ‘Monika’ cucumber seedlings by short-term temperature and seed conditioning with plant growth regulators

The aim of the present study was to improve the chilling tolerance of cucumber seedlings. The conditioned seeds in solutions of salicylic or jasmonic acid in concentrations of 10-2, 10-3 or 10-4 M or brassinolide in concentrations of 10-6, 10-8 or 10-10 M were subjected to temperature shock of 0, 2.5, 5, 35, 40 or 45°C for 1, 2 or 4 hours. Seedlings with 3 mm roots were chilled at 0°C for three days. The chilling susceptibility was evaluated by measurements of roots lengths, electrolyte leakage and total dehydrogenase activity.

The obtained results indicated that cucumber tolerance to chilling conditions depended on the plant growth regulators used during seed imbibition and its concentration as well as the temperature initiating thermal shock and its duration. The highest tolerance to chilling, expressed by the subsequent growth of roots, was observed after seed conditioning in salicylic acid solutions in a concentration of 10-4 M for 16 h at 25°C, then exposed for 4 h to a shock temperature of 5°C. The length of seedling roots after such treatment was over 12 times longer than the control (imbibed in distilled water and not subjected to short-term temperature impact). An increased chilling tolerance of cucumber seedlings may result from enhanced membrane integrity and total dehydrogenase activity. Further research is needed to explain the mechanism of the positive effects of salicylic acid, jasmonic acid or brassinolide application to reduce the injurious effects of chilling on cucumber seedlings.