Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 4, 2026
08:42
Forced Flowering in Mandarin Trees under Phytotron Conditions
Published on: March 6, 2019
Low night temperature acclimation of Phalaenopsis
Bruno Pollet1, Lynn Vanhaecke, Pieter Dambre
1Laboratory of Plant Ecology, Department of Applied Ecology and Environmental Biology, Faculty of Bioscience Engineering, Ghent University, Coupure links 653, 9000 Ghent, Belgium. Bruno.Pollet@UGent.be
Plant Cell Reports
|February 10, 2011
Summary
Phalaenopsis orchids acclimate to cool nights by adjusting their metabolism, enhancing carbon recycling and reducing CO2 uptake. This metabolic flexibility is key for improving orchid production efficiency.
Area of Science:
- Plant Physiology
- Horticultural Science
- Biochemistry
Background:
- Efficient greenhouse heating is vital for orchid production.
- Phalaenopsis acclimation to cool night temperatures is crucial but not well understood.
- The metabolic mechanisms underlying this acclimation require investigation.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the acclimation potential of Phalaenopsis to cool night temperatures.
- To elucidate the mechanistic background of metabolic processes involved in cold acclimation.
- To understand how Phalaenopsis adjusts its Crassulassulacean Acid Metabolism (CAM) operation.
Main Methods:
- Subjecting Phalaenopsis plants to cold stress (28/16°C) and cold acclimation (gradual shift to 28/16°C) treatments.
- Measuring leaf net CO2 uptake, malate accumulation, and starch levels.
- Calculating the contribution of respiratory CO2 recycling to nocturnal malate synthesis.
Main Results:
- Cold acclimation led to higher malate accumulation and reduced CO2 uptake compared to cold stress.
- Respiratory CO2 recycling significantly increased under cold acclimation (47.0%) versus cold stress (23.5%).
- Lower starch levels in acclimated leaves suggest enhanced CAM idling, potentially linked to cool-root drought stress.
Conclusions:
- Phalaenopsis exhibits plasticity in CAM operation and metabolic flexibility for low night temperature acclimation.
- Enhanced respiratory CO2 recycling and CAM idling are key responses to cool conditions.
- Observed adjustments are crucial for improving orchid production efficiency under variable temperatures.
Related Concept Videos
02:45Responses to Heat and Cold Stress
Every organism has an optimum temperature range within which healthy growth and physiological functioning can occur. At the ends of this range, there will be a minimum and maximum temperature that interrupt biological processes.
02:45Biological Clocks and Seasonal Responses
The circadian—or biological—clock is an intrinsic, timekeeping, molecular mechanism that allows plants to coordinate physiological activities over 24-hour cycles called circadian rhythms. Photoperiodism is a collective term for the biological responses of plants to variations in the relative lengths of dark and light periods. The period of light-exposure is called the photoperiod.