Summary
Sixty-seven inbred lines of maize were evaluated for resistance to low-temperature photoinhibition of photosynthesis, using a pulse-modulated chlorophyll fluorescence technique. The evaluation procedure was based on leaf discs, which were exposed to a high irradiance (1000 µmol/m2/s) at 7°C. The efficiency of open PSII reaction centres as a reflection of overall photosynthesis was measured before and after a photoinhibition-inducing treatment. Exposure of leaf discs to photoinhibitory condition for 2, 4, and 8 hours resulted in an efficiency reduction of 30, 53 and 83%, respectively. Testing of inbred lines showed large differences for photoinhibition susceptibility. The difference in photosynthetic efficiency between the most extreme lines after a treatment of eight hours was 39%. Resistance to photoinhibition was shown to be relevant under cool field conditions. It proved to be a trait strongly amenable to selection.
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Dolstra, O., Haalstra, S.R., van der Putten, P.E.L. et al. Genetic variation for resistance to low-temperature photoinhibition of photosynthesis in maize (Zea mays L.). Euphytica 80, 85–93 (1994). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00039302
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00039302