© 1995 Heron Publishing—Victoria, Canada
Rapid freezing induces winter injury symptomatology in red spruce foliage
Timothy D. Perkins and Gregory T. Adams
Forest Decline Project, Department of Botany, University of Vermont, Burlington, VT 05405-0086, USA / Received June 9, 1993
Summary
Red spruce (Picea rubens Sarg.) suffers frequent and extensive injury to current-year foliage during the winter. Experimental freezing of red spruce
foliage at cooling rates > 10 °C min–1 induced visible symptomatology similar to natural winter injury at the branch, needle and cellular levels. Such damage was
associated with a low-temperature exotherm near –10 to –12 °C, a loss in needle fluorescence, massive cellular disruption,
foliar discoloration, and low needle survival. Susceptibility of individual trees to rapid freezing injury was associated
with historical winter injury patterns and alterations in foliar nutrition. We conclude that anthropogenic deposition may
alter the sensitivity of trees to winter injury caused by rapid temperature changes.
Keywords:
cold tolerance, foliar nutrient status, forest decline, intracellular ice formation, Picea rubens, supercooling.
