Lethal freeze-dehydration injury of dogwood stem tissue does not change the activation energy of water permeability.

The Arrhenius activation energy for water permeability, (DeltaE(a,H(2)O)) through stem cortical tissue of red osier dogwood (Cornus sericea L.) was determined after treatments which cause membrane rupture as well as after a lethal slow freeze and subsequent slow rewarming. The latter value was higher than the former, but was indistinguishable from the DeltaE(a,H(2)O) found for healthy tissue. It was concluded that membrane permeability to water is not altered during the first 24 to 48 hours after exposure of nonacclimated red osier dogwood to lethal freeze dehydration injury.