Hort. Sci. (Prague), 2021, 48(4):149-157 | DOI: 10.17221/123/2020-HORTSCI

Response of sweet cherry buds and twigs to temperature changes - evaluated by the determination of the degradation and synthesis of sucroseOriginal Paper

Klaus-Peter Götz ORCID...^*, Frank-Michael Chmielewski

Faculty of Life Science, Humboldt-University of Berlin, Berlin, Germany

This study was undertaken to determine the degradation and synthesis of sucrose (Suc) in sweet cherry buds and the twig tissue response to a sequence of environmental temperature changes (cold (orchard) - warm (controlled temperature of ∼22 °C) - cold (orchard)). The results of two years' (2016, 2017) findings were compared with the buds of trees and the buds of twigs in November/December in northeast Germany. The Suc content in the buds of trees and the buds of twigs under natural conditions was stable. Temperatures of ∼22 °C resulted in a significant (Suc) degradation (62%, from 39 to 15 mg/g DW) in the buds of twigs after 21 days (day of the year (DOY) 340). The significant re-synthesis (66%, to 25 mg/g DW after 21 days, DOY 361) in the orchard is noteworthy, and highlights the Suc value as a cryoprotective saccharide. The marked changes in the Suc, glucose, and fructose contents of the twigs exposed to a cold-warm-cold sequence (< DOY 319, DOY 319-340, DOY 340-361), lead to the conclusion that this adaptation is the result of tissue- and cold-specific sucrose invertases/synthases. The effect of low-temperature-active enzymes explains the role of Suc in the buds of trees during the winter rest. When using twigs for plant physiological examinations during the winter rest, results on a metabolite level should be considered when drawing conclusions concerning the overall tree physiology.

Keywords: Prunus avium L.; buds; trees; twigs; saccharides; air temperature

Published: April 15, 2021  Show citation