Spectrophotometric Measurement of Leached Phenolic Compounds as an Indicator of Freeze Damage

Abstract

Abstract Rhododendron leaf disks (Rhododendron L., cv. Jean Marie de Montague) release water-soluble phenolic compounds when subjected to lethal freezing stress. Following low-temperature exposure, the levels of phenolic compounds leached from the disks are assessed by spectrophotometric measurement (260 nm). The increase in phenolics is highly correlated with other viability tests—electrolyte leakage, visual browning, ethane production, and TTC reduction have r values of 0.99, 0.99, 0.95, and −0.88, respectively. Chemical names used: Trichloroacetic acid (TCA), polyvinylpolypyrrolidone (PVPP), 2,3,5-triphenyl tetrazolium chloride (TTC).