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https://hdl.handle.net/11681/9509| Title: | Effects of low temperatures on the growth and unfrozen water content of an aquatic plant |
| Authors: | Palazzo, A. J. (Antonio J.) Tice, A. R. (Allen R.) Oliphant, Joseph L. Graham, John M. |
| Keywords: | Aquatic plants Aquatic weeds Low temperature Nuclear magnetic resonance |
| Publisher: | Cold Regions Research and Engineering Laboratory (U.S.) Engineer Research and Development Center (U.S.) |
| Series/Report no.: | CRREL report ; 84-14. |
| Description: | Technical report Abstract: Two laboratory studies were performed to investigate the effects of low temperatures on the aquatic plant Ceratophyllum dimersum L. Whole plants were subjected to low-temperature treatments of +4°, 0° and -6°C for 48 hours, and regrowth was compared to an untreated control. The control and +4 °C-treated plants gained weight, while visible injury and reductions in plant biomass were noted 30 days after treatment at the two lower temperatures. The -6°C treatment killed the plants, while the 0° treatment injured them to some degree. In another phase of this study, nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) analysis of plant buds, leaves and stems showed that lowering temperatures caused the plants' unfrozen water content to drop rapidly as the temperature approached -5°C, then slowly as temperatures approached -13°C. From -13°C to -22°C there was little change in unfrozen water content. The results show that ice in this plant causes injury that affects subsequent regrowth; temperatures of -6°C or below can actually kill them. This killing temperature was also near the point where frozen water content increased only slightly with lower temperatures. NMR analysis could be one way of determining plant tolerance to cold. It appears from this study that this weedy species is susceptible to low-temperature injury, and subjecting this plant to cold may be a promising method of weed control in northern lakes. ii |
| Rights: | Approved for public release; distribution is unlimited. |
| URI: | http://hdl.handle.net/11681/9509 |
| Appears in Collections: | CRREL Report |
Files in This Item:
| File | Description | Size | Format | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CR-84-14.pdf | 802.54 kB | Adobe PDF |  View/Open |