Influence of cold hardening on water relations of three Eucalyptus species

Water relations of three Eucalyptus species (E. x trabutii Wilm., E. viminalis Labill., E. dalrympleana Maid.), widely planted in the Mediterranean basin, were analyzed throughout an entire year in relation to natural cold hardening. Osmotic potential, both at saturation and at the turgor loss point, showed a greater reduction during hardening in the more frost-resistant E. viminalis and E. dalrympleana than in the more frost-sensitive E. x trabutii. The hardening capabilities of all species were analyzed in relation to the freezing dehydration index, FDI, a parameter derived from pressure-volume analysis which represents the water lost when cells, initially at the turgor loss point, attain thermodynamic equilibrium with extraplasmatic ice. The FDI at the killing temperature showed little variation either between frost-sensitive and frost-resistant species, or between hardened and non-hardened plants. The index may, therefore, be useful for evaluating a plant's potential for injury by freeze-induced desiccation.