Note: Preface -- Contents -- Contributors -- Global Change in Winter Climate and Agricultural Sustainability -- Introduction -- Past Climate Change -- Causes of Climate Change -- Future Climate Change -- Agricultural Sustainability -- Concluding Remarks -- References -- Soil Freezing Dynamics in a Changing Climate: Implications for Agriculture -- Introduction -- Freeze-Thaw Cycles (FTC) in Air Versus Soil -- Frequency of Soil Freeze-Thaw in Canadian Soils -- Regional Patterns in the Frequency of Soil FTC -- Changes in Soil FTC Severity and Depth -- Increased Variability in Air Temperatures and Precipitation -- Physical Effects of FTC -- Management of Snow and Plant Cover to Modulate Climate Change Effects on Soil Freezing -- Conclusions -- References -- Winter Climate Change and Ecological Implications in Temperate Systems -- Winter Climate Change -- Vegetation Response to Winter Climate Change -- Phenology -- Species Composition -- Extreme Events and Interacting Climatic Parameters -- Warming over Winter -- Frost in a Warmer World -- The Importance of Biodiversity in Climate Impact Research -- Within-Species Diversity -- Within-species Diversity and Evolution -- Assisted Colonization -- Conclusions -- References -- Possible Change of Water and Nitrate Cycles Associated with the Frost-Depth Decrease Under Climate Change -- Introduction -- Study Field -- Thermal Insulation Effect of Snow Cover -- Current Soil Water Movements: Results from the Long-Term Observation Site -- Soil Water and Nitrate Movement Changes Caused by Climate Change: Results from the Snow-Removal Experimental Site -- Concluding Remarks -- References -- Soil Frost Control: Its Application to Volunteer Potato Management in a Cold Region -- Introduction -- Recent Reduction in Soil Frost Depth in the Tokachi Region Associated with the Eastern Asian Winter Monsoon. , Effect of Soil Frost Decreasing on the Volunteer Potatoes Problem -- Development of Soil Frost Control Method for Volunteer Potato Management -- Work Schedule Yukiwari -- Concluding Remarks -- References -- Climatic and Physiological Background of Ice Encasement Damage of Herbage Plants -- Introduction -- Long-Term Temperature Changes -- Winter Stress -- Ice Encasement -- Climate Change -- Accumulation of Metabolites -- Reactive Oxygen Species -- Phytotoxicity -- Concluding Remarks -- References -- Hormones, NO, Antioxidants and Metabolites as Key Players in Plant Cold Acclimation -- Introduction -- Plant Hormone Interactions During Different Phases of Cold Stress Response -- Redox Regulation of Freezing Tolerance -- The Role of Nitric Oxide in Cold Acclimation -- Metabolite Accumulation upon Cold Acclimation -- Conclusions -- References -- The Function and Evolution of Closely Related COR/LEA (Cold-Regulated/Late Embryogenesis Abundant) Proteins in Arabidopsis thaliana -- Introduction -- Characteristics of LEA and COR Proteins -- General Characteristics of LEA Proteins -- Some COR Proteins Are Also LEA Proteins -- Functions of COR/LEA Proteins -- Protection of Enzymes During Drying and Freezing -- Stabilization of Membranes During Drying and Freezing -- Structure, Potential Functions, and Evolution of the Arabidopsis thaliana COR15 Proteins and Their Closest Homologues -- Functional Characteristics of COR15A and COR15B -- Evolution and Expression Networks of COR15A and COR15B and Their Closest Homologues in Arabidopsis -- References -- 3D Reconstruction of Frozen Plant Tissue: A Unique Histological Analysis to Image Postfreeze Responses -- Introduction -- Understanding Crown Survival by Visualizing its Internal Anatomy -- Postfreeze Recovery: Differential Survival of Tillers -- Delineating the Dead-Zone in Frozen Crown Tissue. , Postfreeze Recovery: Specific Visual Response Only in Oat -- Quantitative Analysis of Barrier -- Three-Dimensional Reconstruction of Oat Crown after Freezing -- Function of the Barrier: Speculation -- Concluding Remarks -- References -- Post-transcriptional and Post-translational Modifications Controlling Cold Response -- Introduction -- Posttranscriptional Processes Affecting mRNA Availability -- Stress-related Transcripts from Alternative Splicing Events -- Degradation of Stress-Related Transcripts by miRNAs and tasiRNAs -- Protein Degradation in Response to Stress: The Role of Ubiquitination -- Control of Stress Response by Sumoylation -- A Complex Network of Regulations -- New Targets for Engineering Stress-Tolerant Plants? -- References -- Cold Shock Domain Proteins in Arabidopsis: Functions in Stress Tolerance and Development -- Cold Shock Domain (CSD) Proteins: Backgrounds -- Cold Shock Domains Proteins in Bacteria -- Cold Shock Domains Proteins in Animals -- Cold Shock Domain Proteins in Plants -- AtCSP1 -- AtCSP2 -- AtCSP3 -- AtCSP4 -- Possible Mode of Action of Plant CSD Proteins -- References -- Regulation of RNA Metabolism in Plant Adaptation to Cold -- Introduction -- Glycine-Rich RNA-Binding Proteins in Cold Adaptation -- Cold Shock Domain Proteins in Cold Adaptation -- RNA Helicases in Cold Adaptation -- Cellular Roles of RNA-Binding Proteins in the Cold Adaptation Process -- Concluding Remarks -- References -- Protein Phosphorylation Network in Abscisic Acid Signaling -- Introduction -- PYR/PYL/RCAR Receptors and PP2C in ABA Signaling -- Subclass III SnRK2s are Major Positive Regulators -- Establishing a Basic ABA Signaling Model -- SnRK2-Dependent Protein Phosphorylation Networks in ABA Signaling -- Application of Phosphoproteomics to ABA Signaling Studies -- References. , Using Synchrotron FTIR and Confocal Cryomicroscopy to Explore Mechanisms of Cold Acclimation and Freezing Resistance Using a Single Cell Layer of Allium fistulosum L -- Synchrotron Fourier Transform Infrared Microspectroscopy, its Use in Biology and Cold Acclimation Studies -- Confocal Cryomicroscopic Analysis and Endoplasmic Reticulum Cryodynamics -- Concluding Remarks -- References -- Supercooling-Facilitating Hydrolyzable Tannins Isolated from Xylem Tissues of Cercidiphyllum japonicum -- Introduction -- Contribution of the Cell Wall to Deep Supercooling Capability of XPCs by Isolation of Intracellular Water from Extracellular Ice -- Effects of Intracellular Substances on Deep Supercooling Capability of XPCs -- Secondary Metabolites with Supercooling-Facilitating (SCF) Activities -- SCF-Flavonol Glycosides -- SCF-Hydrolyzable Tannins -- Discussion -- References -- ICE1, a Transcription Factor Involved in Cold Signaling and Tolerance -- Introduction -- Cold Stress Sensing -- ICE1 is a MYC-type Transcription Factor Involved in Cold Signaling -- Regulatory Mechanism of ICE1 -- Cold Signaling and Salicylic Acid or Stomata Development -- Concluding Remarks -- References -- Breeding for Improved Winter Survival in Forage Grasses -- Introduction -- Methods for Quantifying FT and the Correlation with WS in the Field -- Field Testing -- Artificial Freezing Tests -- Indirect Physiological Tests -- Genetics of Winter Hardiness/FT -- Genetic Variation and Heritability -- Breeding by Phenotypic Selection -- QTL for WS Traits and Prospects of Marker-Assisted Selection (MAS) -- Breeding for WS Under Climate Change Conditions -- References -- Molecular Changes in Recurrently Selected Populations of Forage Legumes -- Introduction -- Recurrent Selection for the Improvement of Freezing Tolerance in Forage Legumes. , Biochemical Changes Linked to Freezing Tolerance in Alfalfa -- Changes in Gene Expression in Alfalfa -- Variation in Alfalfa Genome Associated with Superior Freezing Tolerance -- Conclusion -- References -- Abiotic Stress Signal Network with Expression QTLs for Cold-Responsive Genes in Common Wheat -- Introduction -- Cold Acclimation in Arabidopsis Thaliana and Wheat -- Cold Stress-Signaling Pathway -- Osmotic Stress Signaling -- Genetic Dissection of Complex Traits at Transcript Levels -- Concluding Remarks -- References -- Molecular Analysis of Fructan Metabolism Associated with Freezing Tolerance and Snow Mold Resistance of Winter Wheat -- Introduction -- Structure of Wheat Fructan -- Fructan Accumulation and Degradation Associated with Freezing Tolerance and Snow Mold Resistance of Wheat -- Molecular Characteristics of Genes for Fructan Synthesis in Winter Wheat -- Cloning Genes Encoding Enzymes 1-SST, 6-SFT, and 1-FFT in Wheat -- Expression Analysis of Genes for Fructan Synthesis in Winter Wheat During Hardening -- Molecular Characteristics of Fructan Hydrolase Genes in Winter Wheat -- Cloning of Genes Encoding FEH -- Expression Analysis of Genes For Fructan Degradation In Winter Wheat During Hardening And Under Snow -- Conclusion -- References -- Do Growth Kinetics of Snow-mold Fungi Explain Exponential CO2 Fluxes Through the Snow? -- Introduction -- Materials and Methods -- Kinetic Considerations -- Results and Discussion -- Why Are Q 10 Values So High At Sub-zero Temperatures? -- References -- Change in Snow Mold Flora in Eastern Hokkaido and its Impact on Agriculture -- Introduction -- Sclerotinia borealis -- Typhula ishikariensis -- Conclusion -- References -- Phytopathogenic Fungi and Fungal-Like Microbes in Svalbard -- Introduction -- Taxonomic and Ecological Features of Representative Fungi and Fungal-Like Microbes. , Smut Fungus on Polygonum viviparum.