ABSTRACT
Advances in cold-resistant wheat varieties D. Z. Skinner, USDA-ARS, USA
1 Introduction
2 Vernalization and cold tolerance
3 Transcriptomic response during acclimation/acclimatization
4 Transcriptomic response to sub-freezing temperatures
5 Molecular markers associated with cold tolerance
6 Global networks involved in freezing tolerance
7 Biochemical changes during cold acclimation and freezing
8 Freezing tolerance of reproductive tissues
9 Conclusions
10 Where to look for further information
11 References
Winter wheat is planted in the autumn and harvested the following summer and therefore must be able to survive the winter months in the frozen condition. Winterhardiness is of paramount importance to survival of the crop, but the genetic potential for cold hardiness appears to have reached a maximum and winterhardiness of available cultivars has not been improved upon for decades (Fowler, 1983, 2012; Fowler and Limin, 2007). Currently, according to the winter wheat production manual available from the University of Saskatoon, Canada,1 the 10 most winterhardy publicly available winter wheat cultivars were made commercially available in the years 1902-91, underscoring the fact that improving upon existing winterhardiness has been an intractable problem for a long time.
