The effect of gibberellic acid on the response of leaf extension to low temperature

The effect of cooling on leaf extension rate (LER) and on relative elemental growth rate (REGR) was measured in both gibberellic acid (GA)-responsive dwarf barley and in the same barley variety treated with GA. Seedlings were maintained at 20 °C while their leaf extension zone (LEZ) temperature was reduced either in steps to −6 °C in short-term cooling experiments, or to 10 °C for 48 h in long-term cooling experiments. Short-term cooling resulted in a biphasic response in LER, with a clear inflection point identified. Below this point, the activation energy for leaf extension becomes higher. The short-term response of LER to cooling was altered by the application of GA, which resulted in a lower base temperature (Tb), inflection point temperature and activation energy for leaf extension. Both GA-treated and untreated seedlings were less sensitive to cooling maintained for a prolonged period, with LER making a partial recover over the initial 5 h. Although long-term cooling reduced maximum REGR, it resulted in a longer LEZ and an increase in the length of mature interstomatal cells in GA-treated and untreated seedlings. These changes in overall physiology appear to enhance the ability of the leaves to continue expansion at suboptimal temperatures. In both GA-treated and cold-acclimated tissue, the occurrence of a longer LEZ was associated with a lower temperature sensitivity in LER.