Publication Date:
1985-04-01
Description:
SummaryBrassica oil seeds grown in India are occasionally damaged by frost, causing severe losses. A technique was developed to screen germplasm at the seedling stage. Twentyfour lines of B. campestris, B. juncea and B. napus were grown in plastic boxes in a glasshouse in a mixture of peat and sand. The seedlings were frozen after hardening for 2 days at 1 °C. Observations were recorded after 4 days, using a five-point scale. Frost tolerance index (FI) is calculated as the average value for injured plants for each line. Eight lines for each of the three species were tested. B. campestrisas a group showed better frost tolerance. Some lines of Indian mustard also showed good tolerance of low temperature (– 5·5 °C). These findings show good agreement with observations recorded in the literature. The method is detailed and discussed. Suggestions for future programmes are made.
Print ISSN:
0021-8596
Electronic ISSN:
1469-5146
Topics:
Agriculture, Forestry, Horticulture, Fishery, Domestic Science, Nutrition
