Responses of oat seedlings to chilling stress

In the present research, seven oat cultivars, including Qingyin No.1, Qingyin No.2, Qingyin No.3, Qinghai sweet oat, Qinghai 444, Qingyan No.1, and Linna, were treated with continuous chilling stress (5 ℃) with 0 h, 12 h, 36 h, and 60 h to compare their cold resistance. The results revealed that the activities of SOD (Superoxide dismutase), and POD (Peroxidase) and the contents of MDA (Malonaldehyde) and Pro (Proline) of all seven oat cultivars significantly increased under the chilling stress with 12, 36, and 60 h when compared with those of 0 h treatment. The activities of SOD, and POD and the contents of MDA and Pro of all seven oat cultivars reached the maximum with 12 h of chilling stress time (P<0.05), and then decreased with the extention of chilling stress time. The cold resistance of seven oat cultivars decreased in the following order Qingyin No.3 > Qinghai sweet oat > Qingyin No.2 > Linna > Qingyan No.1 > Qinghai 444 > Qingyin No.1.