The low temperature treatment given to the seed or plant for stimulating

flowering in them is called vernalization.

Some seeds required low temperature treatment to break dormancy. Similarly shoot bud
dormancy in some plants like Acer and Betula is overcome by low temperature. But the low
temperature requirement for processes other than flowering is not taken as vernalization.
Seed is given low temperature treatment during vernalization. Its effect persists and
flowering takes place much later. Thus the effect of vernalization is iuductive in nature.
Therefore, the plant need not be exposed to low temperature at the time of flowering.
Discovery of vernalization
J. Gustav Gassner (1928) was a German plant physiologist. He was working with
rye (Secak cereale)found that temperature is critical during early stages of seed
germination. He showed flowering and fruiting depends on temperatures during this critical
stage. There are two varieties of rye:
1.
Winter Petkus rye: Winter Petkus rye is sown in the field in the fall of the year. It
germinates and develops a few leaves. Then winter comes. So further growth is checked
for several months due to low winter temperatures. Some plants are even covered by
snow. The temperature becomes moderate in the spring. Now the plants resume growth
and produce a grain crop.
2.
Spring Petkus rye: The spring Petkus rye is sown in the spring. It germinates
immediately and its vegetative and reproductive growth occurred. It is harvested in
winter.Experiment of Gassner.
He planted winter rye in spring. The seeds germinate and produce vegetative plants. But
they did not flower until late in the growing season. The winter variety requires low
temperature. Gassrier found that winter Petkus rye could be given low temperature
requirement artificially. He placed imbibed seeds in chilling temperatures between 2 to 5
C for 5 to 6 weeks. He planted the chilled seeds in the spring. They grew and flowered
like ordinary Petkus rye. Thus he discovered the phenomenon of vernalization.
Vernalization in Annual and Biennial Forms(Qualitative and Quantitative
Vernalization)
3.
There are two types of plants:
1.
Annual forms (Quantitative vernalization)
The plants which survive one growing season are called annual plants. Its
examples are rye, pea and gram. They are quantitative in nature. These plants can flower
without vernalization. But vernalization develops the flowering earlier in these plants. For
example Petkus rye flowers in 15 weeks without vernalization. But it takes only 7 weeks
when it is given low temperature treatment.
1. Biennial forms (Qualitative vernalization)
The plants which survive two growing seasons are called biennial plants. Its
example is Hyoscyamus.. It has qualitative vernalization requirement. Their first growing
season is before winter. They are sown in summer. They develop vegetative body in first
growing season. They store food in their roots. Then winter comes. Vegetative plant dies.
After winter the under ground root give rise to new plant body. It is their second growing
season. The plant develops flowers and seeds. It is harvested in spring. These plants fail
to flower without vernalization. They remain vegetative indefinitely without vernalization.
SITE OF VERNALIZATION
There are two sites of vernalization:
I. Stem tip: The localized cooling treatment was given to stem tip. It receives the
vernalization effect. The stem tip is chilled. The rest of the plant may be kept at high
temperature. It vernalizes all the plants.
2. Seed: Seeds are also vernalized before sowing. The embryo in seed receives the
vernalization stimulus. Then seed is sown. It produces flowers..
3. Root tips and leaves: The root tips and leaves of Lunaira biennia contain dividing
cells. Therefore, its root tip and leaves can be vemalized. Thus, divididg cells are
necessary for vernalization.

FACTORS AFFECTING VERNALIZATION

1.
Water and Oxygen
Seed need to imbibe 20 10% water. Therefore, dry seed cannot be vernalized. Similarly
oxygen is also necessary for vernalization. Oxygen is used during respiration. A germinating
seed need energy. This energy is provided by respiration. The inhibition of respiration blocks
the process of vernalization.
2. Temperature
The seeds are exposed to low temperature during vernalization. This temperature ranges
from I 7C. Temperature lower than 4C is not effective. Similarly, temperature above 12 C
does not cause vernalization. The duration of vernalization varies in different species. It
varies from 10 to 100 days. The period of 8. week is quite effective for vernalization in most
of the species.
3. Devernalization
The exposing of vernalized seed to high temperature lost the effect of vernalization. It is
called Devernalization. It occurs in case of suboptimal vernalization. The temperature above
30 -35C is effective for devernalization. However, the optimum vernalization cannot be
devernalized.
4. Food substances
Food substances are required for respiration. Isolated embryos cannot be vernalized.
5. Effect of light
Light has no effect on the process of vernalization. Thus seed of a plant can be vernalized in
the presence or absence of light. But many plants like carrot require both vernalization and
photoperiodic stimulus. They must be first vernalized. Then are given photoperiodic stimulus
for flowering.
6. Effect of hormones
Many species like carrot and Hyoscyamus have obligate vernalization requirement. They are
rosette in habit during vegetative stage. These .plants show rapid flowering after
vernalization. It also causes elongation or bolting in plant. The requirement of vernalization
can be replaced by application of gibberellic acid. It causes both bolting and flowering.

Mechanism of vernalization
Following views tried to explain the mechanism of vernalization:
1.
Concept of Gregory
Gregory and coworker were working on cereals. They believed that vernalization process
consists of several partial reactions. Cells within the shoot apex receives low temperature
stimulus. It starts metabolic processes. These processes pynthosize the flower stimulus. The
flower stimulus is then transformed into localized areas within the shoot apex. Thus
flowering start in it.
2. Hormonal Theory of G Melchers:
He suggested that low temperature induces the formation of vernalin. Vemalin is a growth
substance. It initiates the synthesis of the flower stimulus. The vernalin has not yet been
isolated. But some indirect evidence supports the existence of vernalin. G. Melchers
performed two experiments:
(a)
The grafting experiments of Melchers provide evidence about the existence of
vernalin. He grafted a plant part, tear or stem, of a vernalized henbane (Hyoscyamus) to a
non-vernalized henbane plant. He found that the non-vernalised henbane flowered.
(b)
Florigen also passes through graft union. Some physiologists suggest that florigen
may be vernalization stimulus. The experiments of Melchers and Lang proved it wrong. They
grafted an tin-vemalized henbane (Hyoscyainus niger) plant to a Maryland Mammoth
tobacco plant. The henbane plant flowered. The stimulus transmitted from tobacco plant to
the henbane may be through photo inductive cycle or non-inductive cycles. Flats florigen is
not produced in non-inductive cycles. Therefore, it cannot act as vernalin.
Chemical nature of vernalin
The low temperature treatment produces vernalin. This vernalin induces flowering.
However, this hypothetical hormone vernalin cannot he isolated. But some plant
physiologists believed that some plant growth hormone gibberellins may act as vernalin.
Evidence of gibberellins as a vernalin
(a) Anton Lang in 1957 applied gibberellins on biennials like henbane. Henbane
require. vernaliration stimulus for flowering. Gibberellins induced flowering in it without
cold temperature treatment.
(b) Purvis in 1961 induced flowering in winter annuals by treating their seeds with
gibberellins.
(c) It was also found that the exposing of vernalization requiring species to low
temperature treatment produces a large amount of natural gibberellins. These results
indicate that properties of gibberellins are similar to vernalin.
Objections on gibberellins as a vernalin
Gibberellin was applied to vernalization requiring rosette plants. It causes elongation of
stem. Then it prodUces floral buds on this shoot. In another experiment plants were provided
cold temperature for inducing flowering. The floral buds appeared as soon as the shoot
begins to elongate. Thus the effect of application of gibberellin and low temperature
treatment are not same. It indicates gibberellin does not produce same affect as vernalin.
3. Anthesin hypothesis of Challakhyan
Mikhail Chailakhyan (1968) suggested that two substances involved in flower formation.
One is gibberellin or gibberellin-like substance and second is anthesin. Anthesin is
hypothetical substance like vernalin. Chailakhyan suggested that Vernalization requiring
plants produce vernalin when subjected to low temperatures. The vernalin is then converted
to gibberellins in long days. Gibberellin cause flowering in the presence of anthesin. But
vernalin is not converted into gibberellin in short days. Therefore, flowering cannot occur in
them. This hypothesis could not be proved experimentally.
4. Phasic development theory of Lysenko

Phasic development theory was put forward by a Russian plant

physiologist Lysenko. According to this theory every plant passes through two phases of
development. These phases are thermophase and photophase. Both these phases are
controlled by environmental factors.
(a) Thermophase: The early phase of life which requires definite
temperature for development is called thermophase. It is applied to development of
seeds and seedlings. Each seed requires definite temperature. This requiremen, varies for
different species. For example, biennial winter wheat need low temperature. But the seeds
of annual spring varieties require higher temperature. Thermophase must be completed
before the photophase. Thus chilled or vernal ized seeds complete the thermaphase.
(b) Photophase: The late phase of life in which plant require definite light
requirement for flowering is called photophase. If the chilled seeds are sown, they
grow and enter into photophase. This phase require definite light and dark period
(photoperiodism) for flowering.