Photosynthetica 2022, 60(3):376-388 | DOI: 10.32615/ps.2022.024

Biochemical, gas exchange, and chlorophyll fluorescence analysis of maize genotypes under drought stress reveals important insights into their interaction and homeostasis

G.M. SINGH1, 2, S. GOLDBERG2, 3, 4, D. SCHAEFER2, 4, F. ZHANG1, 5, S. SHARMA6, V.K. MISHRA6, J. XU2, 3, 4
1 MARA-CABI Joint Laboratory for Biosafety, Institute of Plant Protection, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, 100193 Beijing, China
2 Centre for Mountain Futures (CMF), Kunming Institute of Botany, 650201 Kunming, Yunnan, China
3 East and Central Asia Regional Office, World Agroforestry, 650201 Kunming, Yunnan, China
4 CAS Key Laboratory for Plant Diversity and Biogeography of East Asia, Kunming Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 650201 Kunming, Yunnan, China
5 College of Agriculture and Ecological Engineering, Hexi University, Zhangye, 734000 Gansu, China
6 Department of Genetics and Plant Breeding, Banaras Hindu University, 221005 Varanasi, India

Many studies have been conducted on maize to study the effect of drought on yield at the flowering stage, but understanding biochemical and photosynthetic response against drought at the seedling stage needs to be well established. Thus, to understand differential changes and interaction of biochemical and photosynthetic parameters at the seedling stage under drought, a greenhouse experiment with twelve maize genotypes under severe drought (30% field capacity) and irrigated (90-100% field capacity) conditions were performed. Drought differentially altered biochemical and photosynthetic parameters in all genotypes. A sharp increase in hydrogen peroxide, malondialdehyde (MDA), and total antioxidant capacity (TAOC) were seen and a positive association between H2O2 and TAOC, and MDA and transpiration rate (E) was observed under drought. Nonphotochemical quenching increased under drought to avoid the photosystem damage. PCA biplot analysis showed that reducing E and increasing photosynthetic efficiency would be a better drought adaptation mechanism in maize at the seedling stage.

Additional key words: chlorophyll fluorescence; drought; gas exchange; interaction; maize.

Received: November 21, 2021; Revised: April 1, 2022; Accepted: April 25, 2022; Prepublished online: June 3, 2022; Published: September 8, 2022  Show citation

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SINGH, G.M., GOLDBERG, S., SCHAEFER, D., ZHANG, F., SHARMA, S., MISHRA, V.K., & XU, J. (2022). Biochemical, gas exchange, and chlorophyll fluorescence analysis of maize genotypes under drought stress reveals important insights into their interaction and homeostasis. Photosynthetica, 60(3), 376-388. doi: 10.32615/ps.2022.024
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