Study on the comparative evaluation of cold stress tolerance in microgreens through electrolyte leakage

Microgreens are increasingly being explored as a nutritious fresh food source for high-altitude regions, where harsh weather prevents year-round vegetable production and makes indoor cultivation essential, thus necessitating the selection of crop species suited to low temperatures. Conventional methods for estimation of cold tolerance are usually elaborative and complicated, while biotechnological approaches such as gene expression profiling or molecular marker-based screening are often costly, time-consuming and require specialized laboratory facilities that are not feasible in remote or resource-limited environments. Electrolyte leakage offers a simple, rapid and reliable alternative for evaluating cold injury in plants. As electrolyte leakage shows a strong correlation with various biochemical attributes associated with abiotic stresses, including cold stress, it serves as an effective indicator of cellular membrane stability under low temperatures. In the present study, the electrolyte leakage approach was successfully utilized to estimate cold tolerance in microgreens of different vegetable species. The observed trends were consistent with those reported in mature crops, thus validating the reliability of this method. The findings demonstrate that this technique can aid in selecting crop varieties suited for cultivation in the cold terrains.