Monday, November 13, 2006
61-2

Cold Tolerance in Maize.

Weidong Liu, University of Guelph, 1 Burke Court, Guelph, ON N1L 1J2, CANADA and Matthijs Tollenaar, Plant Agriculture Department, Univ. of Guelph, Guelph, ON N1G 2W1, Canada.

To quantify the effects of low growth temperature on leaf photosynthesis and dry matter production of maize hybrid and its inbred parents during the early development stage, experiments were conducted in growth chambers in 2005 -2006. The three genotypes used were  CG60xMBS1236 (hybrid) and its inbred parents CG60 and MBS1236.  Plants were grown at PPFD of 600 μmol m-2 s-1, 16/8 h light/dark photoperiod, 26/20°C day/night temperature, and relative humidity of 70%. At 5-leaf (tip) stage, plants were treated with 8-hour-night temperature of 0°C, 3°C, 6°C, 9°C, and 15°C for 9 days. Measurements include Leaf photosynthesis, quantum efficiency of PSII, non-photochemical quenching, and dry matter accumulation and partitioning. The results suggested that there is no heterosis in cold stress tolerance for the hybrid.

Handout (.pdf format, 216.0 kb)