Perspectives of plant cold tolerance: physiology and molecular responses.

An enormous range in sensitivity to low temperature exists in the plant kingdom from those that show injury beginning at 15 degrees C to those able to withstand freezing to the lowest temperatures attainable in nature. Plants capable of surviving exposure to temperatures below 0 degrees C must be able to endure extreme stresses and strains as liquid water in their tissues undergo the transition to ice. The mechanisms which allow hardy plants to survive freezing, although complex, are becoming better understood. This article briefly describes some of the physiological and molecular aspects associated with plant tolerance to low-temperature stress.