Assessing growth, frost tolerance, and acclimation of pine seedlings with contrasted dormancy strategies as influenced by organic nitrogen supply

Abstract

Freezing stress is a critical environmental factor affecting survival, distribution, and evolution of plants. Although there is evidence that nitrogen (N) affects frost tolerance of juvenile conifers, the magnitude and direction of such effect can diverge among species. The influence of the N source on frost tolerance has been barely studied. Particularly, how organic N sources could affect the cold acclimation dynamics of seedlings is poorly understood. We studied morpho-physiological responses to organic N supply (amino acids) in comparison to inorganic N in seedlings of two Mediterranean pine species: Pinus halepensis and P. sylvestris. Fertilization was applied at low and high N doses (30 and 130 mg N seedling−1) in the first growing season. Then, tolerance of seedlings to freezing stress was evaluated through the cold season. This study confirmed that organic N supply promotes growth of both species as effectively as inorganic N sources. At low N availability, seedlings had acute phosphorus deficiencies when grown with inorganic N, but not with organic N. Likewise, high organic-N availability improved chlorophylls concentration. Both species increased their frost tolerance through time, especially during late autumn. Although organic N supply did not show clear benefits on frost tolerance, it seemed to enhance cold acclimation via increases of compatible solutes, such as soluble sugars and proline, particularly in P. halepensis. Thus, the effects of organic N supply could depend on the extent that such osmolytes contribute to the dormancy strategy of the species. Other species-specific mechanisms to cope with freezing stress are further discussed.