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Acta Agron Sin ›› 2013, Vol. 39 ›› Issue (12): 2183-2191.doi: 10.3724/SP.J.1006.2013.02183

• TILLAGE & CULTIVATION·PHYSIOLOGY & BIOCHEMISTRY • Previous Articles     Next Articles

Characteristics of Senescence and Antioxidant Enzyme Activities in Leaves at Different Plant Parts of Summer Maize with the Super-high Yielding Potential after Anthesis

WANG Yong-Jun1,2,3,YANG Jin-Sheng2,YUAN Cui-Ping3,LIU Jing-Guo2,LI Deng-Hai2,*,DONG Shu-Ting1,*   

  1. 1 State Key Laboratory of Crop Biology / College of Agronomy, Shandong Agricultural University, Tai’an 271018, China; 2 Shandong Denghai Seed-Breeding Co. Ltd. / Key Laboratory of Maize Breeding and Culture of Shandong Province, Laizhou 261448, China; 3 Jilin Academy of Agricultural Sciences / National Engineering Laboratory for Maize, Changchun 130033, China
  • Received:2013-03-04 Revised:2013-06-09 Online:2013-12-12 Published:2013-10-01

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Abstract:

Grain yield improvement of maize (Zea mays L.) has been evidently associated with delayed leaf senescence during the grain-filling period after anthesis. The object of this study was to explore senescence characteristics and antioxidant enzyme activities after flowering in different position leaves of summer maize with high yield record for providing references of regulating the leaf senescence and achieving the higher yield in China. A field experiment planted Denghai 661, a new hybrid with high-yielding potential, was carried out to compare the experiment of maize with high yield record (EHYR) and the maize grown in conventional farmers’ field (MCFF) in individual level from 2005 to 2007. And the parameters related to the leaf senescence, such as leaf area (LA), LA reduction, net photosynthetic rate (Pn), soluble protein content, activities of superoxide dismutase (SOD), peroxidase (POD) and catalase (CAT), and malondialdehyde (MDA) content, were determined in this research. The grain yield of EHYR was 2.18 times greater than that of MCFF, reaching 19 349 kg ha-1. The rapid senescence time of EHYR leaves and MCFF leaves were found at 30 and 50 days after anthesis, respectively. Therefore, the leaf senescence of EHYR was 20 days earlier than that of MCFF. At the rapid senescence stage, the leaf area reduction of EHYR was 5.7% lower than that of MCFF. During the later period of leaf senescence, the net photosynthetic rate was higher in top and middle leaves than in bottom leaves. Furthermore, the soluble protein content in leaves of EHYR was higher than that of MCFF, but the MDA content was on the contrary. At 20 days after anthesis, the SOD activities in top and middle leaves of EHYR were higher than those of MCFF, while the SOD, POD, and CAT activities in bottom leaves of EHYR were higher than those of MCFF. On the contrary, the POD and CAT activities in middle leaves of MCFF were higher than those of EHYR. Results of both correlation analysis and path analysis indicated that the leaf reduction was negatively correlated with the CAT activity significantly in EHYR, also with the SOD and POD activities significantly in MCFF, and the direct effects were higher than the indirect effects of SOD, POD, and CAT in both EHYR and MCFF. Compared with MCFF treatment, besides higher SOD and POD activities, EHYR had higher CAT activities and soluble protein content resulting in declined lipid peroxidation during grain-filling period, which caused delayed leaf senescence and leaf senescence degree. There were obvious differences at 20 days post-anthesis in maize leaf senescence physiologically. Between EHYR and MCFF suggesting that the 20–30 days after anthesis is a critical period, and all the related agronomy measures should be recommended to be taken before this phase in maize production.

Key words: Summer maize, Super-high yielding potential, After anthesis, Leaf senescence, Antioxidant enzyme

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