vernalization

Noun

vernalization (usually uncountable, plural vernalizations)

1. (usually) The treatment of seeds or bulbs by exposure to low temperatures so as to decrease the vegetative period or to cause the plant to flower or bear fruit more quickly.
   • This low temperature requirement for flowering, called vernalization, begins at germination. Vernalization is assumed to occur at temperatures between 0 and 18°C (Ahrens and Loomis, 1963; Tirone and Metzer, 1970).1998, J. T. Ritchie, U. Singh, D. C. Godwin, W. T. Bowen, Cereal growth, development and yield, Gordon Yukio Tsuji, Gerrit Hoogenboom, Philip Thornton (editors), Understanding Options for...
   • Species needing vernalization do not flower when grown in a warm climate.2005, Helgi Öpik, Stephen A. Rolfe, Arthur John Willis, The Physiology Of Flowering Plants, page 275

   Synonyms:

   jarovization

   Antonyms:

   devernalization