Plants pretreated with SA and BA showed similar responses
with an EL that has a tendency to decrease after 24 h of exposure
to chilling conditions then increase slightly (48 h) and kept relatively
stable and lower than control plants. Unlike other plants,
plants pretreated with CaCl2 kept almost stable EL values during
the first 48 h of chilling exposure then increase and decrease further.
These results demonstrated that membrane permeability, as
an indicator of membrane integrity, was maintained by means of
signal molecules during chilling stress. Cell membrane damage
was alleviated and postponed. However, stabilisation and maintenance
of membranes during cold stress prevents damage of cell
membranes and could constitute a major component of chilling
tolerance in plants.