Electrical impedance analysis in plant tissues: in vivo detection of freezing injury

Freezing injury of potato tuber tissue was studied by measuring electrical impedance, in the range of 100 Hz to 800 KHz, while the tissue was subjected to a −3 °C environment. It was found that a greater proportion of total impedance was due to electrode polarization in frozen tissues than in nonfrozen tissues. In frozen tissue, electrode impedance could be so great that tissue impedance could not be measured reliably. Analysis of tissue impedance using complex nonlinear least squares revealed some dynamics of the process of tissue freezing. After 1 h of exposure to freezing conditions, extracellular resistance began a sustained decrease. This can be explained by electrolyte leakage to extracellular space, presumably as a result of membrane injury. The capacitances of both plasma membrane and tonoplast also decreased with freezing. Key words: potato (Solanum tuberosum L.) tuber, electrical impedance, freezing injury, membrane capacitance.

[1]  D. G. Stout.  Evaluation of freezing injury and freeze‐thaw injury to membranes of Saskatoon serviceberry twigs by measuring HCN release , 1983 .

[2]  Neil B. McLaughlin,et al.  In vivo plant impedance measurements and characterization of membrane electrical properties: the influence of cold acclimation , 1987 .

[3]  J. Willison,et al.  A freeze-etch study of the effects of extracellular freezing on cellular membranes of wheat , 1985, Planta.

[4]  D. G. Stout,et al.  In vivo detection of membrane injury at freezing temperatures. , 1980, Plant physiology.

[5]  M. I. Zhang,et al.  Electrical impedance analysis in plant tissues: The effect of freeze-thaw injury on the electrical properties of potato tuber and carrot root tissues , 1992 .

[6]  D G Stout,et al.  Effect of cold acclimation on bulk tissue electrical impedance: I. Measurements with birdsfoot trefoil at subfreezing temperatures. , 1988, Plant physiology.

[7]  D. G. Stout,et al.  Influence of cold acclimation on membrane injury in frozen plant tissue. , 1981, Plant physiology.

[8]  W. Larcher,et al.  Frost Survival of Plants: Responses and Adaptation to Freezing Stress , 1987 .

[9]  C. G. Greenham.  THE STAGES AT WHICH FROST INJURY OCCURS IN ALFALFA , 1966 .

[10]  P. Steponkus.  Role of the Plasma Membrane in Freezing Injury and Cold Acclimation , 1984 .

[11]  J. Willison,et al.  Wheat tissues freeze-etched during exposure to extracellular freezing: distribution of ice , 1985, Planta.

[12]  E. Kendall,et al.  Phase properties of membranes after freezing injury in winter wheat , 1985 .

[13]  E. Kendall,et al.  Membrane Injury During Freezing Stress to Winter Wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) Crowns , 1991 .

[14]  M. I. Zhang,et al.  Electrical Impedance Analysis in Plant Tissues11 , 1990 .

[15]  M. I. Zhang,et al.  A microcomputer-based precision impedance analyzer for measuring electrical impedance in plant tissues , 1991 .

[16]  M. I. Zhang,et al.  Plant Tissue Impedance and Cold Acclimation: A Re-analysis , 1992 .

[17]  P. Kramer,et al.  Responses of Plants to Environmental Stresses , 1973 .

[18]  D. Fensom,et al.  Electrical impedance studies of stem tissue of Solanum clones during cooling , 1972 .

[19]  J. Widholm.  The use of fluorescein diacetate and phenosafranine for determining viability of cultured plant cells. , 1972, Stain technology.