Effect of drought stress in jointing stage on the photosynthetic light response of spring maize in Northeast China

The field experiments of drought stress and rewatering for spring maize were carried out in jointing stage in Northeast China. The effects of drought stress on the photosynthetic light response of maize and rewatering compensation recovery were analyzed. The results were showed as followed: Under moderate drought stress condition in jointing stage, drought stress affected the photosynthesis of maize leaves and led to the decrease of the values of photosynthetic light response parameters such as the transpiration rate, photosynthesis rate, stomatal conductance and intercellular CO2 concentration. The longer time of the drought stress, the more severe the damage of the photosynthesis, the more obvious photo inhibition occurred, and the more difficult to recover. The compensation recovery of photosynthetic rate after 10 days of rewatering was better than that of stomatal conductance, transpiration rate, and intercellular CO2 concentration. Therefore, there needed to be moderate water supply in the jointing stage of maize to ensure the photosynthetic structure not to be damaged.