Extreme temperature control for plant biology research

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This proposal requests $25,000 to purchase one temperature controlled test chamber to enable research addressing the tolerance of plants to thermal extremes. The equipment requested is the Thermotron model S16-8200 environmental test chamber, which allows precisely-controlled exposure of whole plants to the range of temperatures required to assess tissue sensitivity to chilling, freezing and heat stress. The equipment will enhance ongoing research at the University of Toronto to the responses of plants to climate change, and the tolerance of novel biofuel species to low temperature. Primary projects the equipment will support include 1) screening Miscanthus and switchgrass varieties for low temperature tolerance, to provide guidance for the establishment of feedstock plantations supporting a Canadian biofuel industry; 2) studying cold tolerance of bioinvasive species from the USA in order to predict future threats to Canadian agriculture and natural ecosystems following climate warming; 3) delineating thresholds and mechanisms controlling heat-induced reproductive failure in crop and natural species; 4) identifying the genetic controls over the evolution of cold tolerance in Capsella, morning-glory and Arabidopsis. The chambers are easy to use, and would be readily available to students and faculty throughout the University of Toronto research community.