Chilling Injury: A Review of Possible Causes

Chilling injury has been defined as injury at temperatures low enough to cause damage but not cause freezing of water (17). Common usage refers to temperatures between 0° and 15°C, which cause irreversible damage to tropical and subtropical species. Except for the obvious postharvest loss of quality in many fruits and poor stand establishment in some field crops, the economic importance of chilling injury is difficult to quantify. Chilling injury often results in plants being “set back” so that maturation is delayed and yield reduced. A better understanding of the physiological and biochemical causes of injury and mechanisms of resistance will enable the horticulturist to design better cultural practices and the breeder to develop more resistant cultivars.