During all of the experiment high - heterosis F 1 hybrids had an advantage both in growth rate and in generative development, in comparison to low heterosis hybrids or with hybrids where complete absence of heterosis was reported . As for recombination, the first thing observed in the experiment was a significant increase in crossing over frequency in all hybrids and within both segments in question in the treatment, the difference being statistically significant for the hl - a segment (Table 1) . A similar reaction of tomatoes, only with short - term stresses, was mentioned in another article (Gavrilenko, 1984) . It is well - known that temperature lowering reduces the speed of biochemical reactions, thus increasing the duration of cycles and phases of various physiological processes (Alexandrov, 1975; 1985), and consequently the duration of conjugation, synapsis, crossing - over etc . Therefore it is supposed that recombination reactions to low temperature consists in an increase in the number of DNA breakages kept in pachytene, accessible to an exchange, at the expense of an avoidance of their reparation (Lu, Chiu, 1976) . This assumption also explains well the high stage - specific influence of low temperature treatment (Lu, 1975) . By considering the effect separately in high and low - heterosis hybrids, the tendency for a stronger reaction to such influences in the former rather than in the latter (Table 1), especially in a segment hl - a, is obviously visible . In both investigated pairs the frequency of crossing - over was higher in case of high - heterosis hybrids . It is essential that low temperature, acting on reparation of one - strand breakages in pachytene, can simultaneously result in a delay or avoidance of DNA reparation synthesis, together with regeneration complementation of molecular heterozygosity sites . The correction in sites of molecular heterozygosity is an absolutely necessary condition for a normal end to a recombination event, without it the products of an exchange will be nonviable (Lu, Chiu, 1976) . Therefore the result of low temperature suppression of two types of reparations in pachytene, can be negative: under long processing, the increase of potential sites of crossing over will be compensated for by the reduction of vitality of incorrect products of an exchange . This suggests that under equal conditions of induction of recombination frequency by means of low temperature, it is possible that a higher reparation ability of high heterosis hybrids results in less elimination of recombinant classes of gametes and/or zygotes, and thus to the better functioning of their metabolic systems; thus, long - term influences of low temperature can play an important role . This was strongly supported by persistence of heterosis in