수박은 저온에 민감한 작물로 10°C 이하에서는 생육이 지연되거나 억제된다. 농가에서는 소득 향상을 위해 정식 시기를 앞당기고 있으나 촉성재배 작형에서 안정적으로 수박을 생산하기 위해서는 가온 혹은 보온이 필수적이기 때문에 비용 및 노동력의 부담이 크다. 이에 따라 저온 피해를 경감시킬 수 있는 재배기술과 촉성재배용 수박 품종 개발이 요구되고 있으며 본 연구는 재배기간 중 지속적인 야간 저온에 의한 수박의 생장 및 과실 비대 양상 변화를 조사하여 내냉성 수박 품종개발의 기초자료로 활용하고자 수행하였다. 지속적인 야간 저온과 적온 환경에서 내냉성을 보일 것이라 예측되는 품종과 저온에 감수성을 보일 것으로 예측되는 품종을 재배하고 생육을 비교하였다. 정식 후 생육 초기에는 내냉성을 보일 것으로 예측하였던 품종이 저온 조건에서 덩굴 길이의 감소율이 작았으며, 생체중과 건물중은 증가하였다. 그러나 교배기와 생육 후기에는 내냉성 품종 중 하나에서 감수성 품종보다 덩굴 길이, 엽장, 엽폭, 엽병길이의 생장이 억제되어 자원 간에도 생육단계에 따라 생장반응의 차이가 존재하는 것을 확인하였다. 과장, 과폭, 과중 또한 내냉성 품종에서 통계적으로 유의하게 생육량이 낮았으며 착과율도 감수성 품종에서 높은 값을 보였다. 이는 품종의 육성목표와 선발기준이 정식 후 생육 초기의 내냉성에 있기 때문인 것으로 판단되며, 다양한 저온환경에 적응할 수 있는 품종을 개발하기 위해 유묘기부터 과실 비대기까지의 생육단계에 따른 내냉성에 대한 추가 연구가 필요하다.

Since the major important factors limiting plant growth and crop productivity are environmental stresses, of which low temperature is the most serious. It has been well known that many physiological processes are alterant in response to the environmental stress. With regard to the relationship between plant hormones and the regulation of chilling tolerance in rice seedlings, the major physiological roles of plant hormones: abscisic acid, ethylene and polyamines are evaluated and discussed in this paper. Rice seedlings were grown in culture solution to examine the effect of such plant hormones on physiological characters related to chilling tolerance and also to compare the different responses among tested cultivars. Intact seedlings about 14 day-old were chilled at conditions of 5~circC and 80% relative humidity for various period. Cis-(＋)-ABA content was measured by the indirect ELISA technique. Polyamine content and ethylene production in leaves were determined by means of HPLC and GC respectively. Chilling damage of seedlings was evaluated by electrolyte leakage, TTC viability assay or servival test. Our experiment results described here demonstrated the physiological functions of ABA, ethylene, and polyamines related to the regulation of chilling tolerance in rice seedlings. Levels of cis-(＋)-ABA in leaves or xylem sap of rice seedlings increased rapidly in response to 5~circC treatment. The tolerant cultivars had significant higher level of endogenous ABA than the sensitive ones. The (~pm )-ABA pretreatment for 48 h increased the chilling tolerance of the sensitive indica cultivar. One possible function of abscisic acid is the adjustment of plants to avoid chilling-induced water stress. Accumulation of proline and other compatible solutes is assumed to be another factor in the prevention of chilling injuies by abscisic acid. In addition, the expression of ABA-responsive gene is reported in some plants and may be involving in the acclimation to low temperature. Ethylene and its immediate precusor, 1-amincyclopropane-1-carboxylic acid(ACC) increased significantly after 5~circC treatment. The activity of ACC synthase which converts S-adenosylmethionine (SAM) to ACC enhanced earlier than the increase of ethylene and ACC. Low temperature increased ACC synthase activity, whereas prolonged chilling treatment damaged the conversion of ACC to ethylene. It was shown that application of Ethphon was beneficial to recovering from chilling injury in rice seedlings. However, the physiological functions of chilling-induced ethylene are still unclear. Polyamines are thought to be a potential plant hormone and may be involving in the regulation of chilling response. Results indicated that chilling treatment induced a remarkable increase of polyamines, especially putrescine content in rice seedlings. The relative higher putrescine content was found in chilling-tolerant cultivar and the maximal level of enhanced putrescine in shoot of chilling cultivar(TNG. 67) was about 8 folds of controls at two days after chilling. The accumulation of polyamines may protect membrane structure or buffer ionic imbalance from chilling damage. Stress physiology is a rapidly expanding field. Plant growth regulators that improve tolerance to low temperature may affect stress protein production. The molecular or gene approaches will help us to elucidate the functions of plant hormones related to the regulation of chilling tolerance in plants in the near future. Abbreviation : ABA : abscisic acid ACC : 1-aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylic acid ADC : arginine decarboxylase ELISA : enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay ODC : ornithine decarboxylase Put: putrescine SAMDC : S-adenosylmethionine decarboxylase Spd : spermidine Spm : spermine TNG 67 : Tainung 67 TCN 1 : Taichung Native 1 TTC : triphenyl tetrazolium chloride