The tomato 2-oxoglutarate-dependent dioxygenase gene SlF3HL is critical for chilling stress tolerance

Abstract

Chill stress: Gene regulator identified in tomato plants A gene involved in regulating responses to chill stress in tomato plants may prove valuable in reducing crop damage caused by low temperatures. A significant limiting factor in growing certain crops is cold stress – for example, tomato and cucumber plants suffer chill damage and reduced productivity at low temperatures (0 to 12 °C). Xianggiang Zhan at the Northwest A&F University in Shaanxi, China, and co-workers demonstrated that the gene SIF3HL is a key regulator of chilling stress tolerance in tomato plants. The team generated plants with no SIF3HL expressed and found that they responded poorly at low temperatures, with higher levels of reactive oxygen species and decreased levels of metabolic enzymes. Expression levels of four cold-responsive genes were also reduced. Plants overexpressing SIF3HL, on the other hand, coped well at low temperatures.