*2.1. E*ff*ect of Chilling Stress on Plant Growth*

To investigate the effect of chilling stress on the growth of rice seedlings during greening, 6 day etiolated seedlings were treated with 28 ◦C, 18 ◦C, and 12 ◦C for 48 h in light (120 μmol m−<sup>2</sup> s−1). After 48 h of greening, leaves were green and fully expanded at 28 ◦C (Figure 1A,B) and the leaves at 18 ◦C looked yellow-green and were fully expanded, while the leaves at 12 ◦C were yellow and incompletely expanded (Figure 1A,B). Compared with plants growing at 28 ◦C, chill-treated rice seedlings exhibited significantly lower shoot and root lengths after 48 h illumination (Figure 1C). These results showed that chilling stress significantly inhibited the greening process and the growth of rice seedlings.

**Figure 1.** Effect of chilling stress on rice seedling growth (**A**,**B**) and shoot/root length (**C**) after 48 h of greening. Six day old etiolated seedlings were treated with 18 ◦C or 12 ◦C chilling stress. Date represent means ± SD of 10 replicate samples. Bars with different letters above the columns of figures indicate significant differences according to Duncan's multiple range test at *p* < 0. Bar = 2 cm.
