Affiliation:
1. Guangxi Key Laboratory of Agro-Environment and Agro-Products Safety, Key Laboratory of Crop Cultivation and Physiology, College of Agriculture, Guangxi University, Nanning 530004, China
2. Maize Research Institute, Guangxi Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Nanning 530007, China
Abstract
The frequent occurrence of localized and seasonal droughts has caused severe economic losses in maize production in South China. To promote sustainable maize production, selecting and breeding drought-tolerant varieties is vital for addressing water scarcity. Drought stress affects all aspects of crop morphological performance. In this study, the morphological performance of 285 maize inbred lines under drought stress was investigated using D-value analysis, correlation analysis, principal component analysis, cluster analysis and stepwise regression analysis. All indicators were significantly different in the regular treatment compared to the drought treatment. Specifically, survival rate, root fresh weight, root dry weight, plant dry weight, root/crown ratio, and plant fresh weight were used as indicators for drought-tolerance evaluation. Furthermore, the drought-tolerant inbred line CML323 and the drought-sensitive inbred line CB2-49-1 were screened by comprehensively evaluating D values. The drought-tolerant inbred line CML323 exhibits higher leaf relative water content, chlorophyll content, proline content, and ascorbate peroxidase and peroxidase activity while having lower malondialdehyde content, consequently demonstrating excellent drought tolerance. This study provides valuable insights into drought-tolerance indicators and reference materials for breeding maize varieties.
Funder
Innovation Project of Guangxi Graduate Education
Key R&D Projects of Guangxi
Fundamental Scientific Research of Guangxi Academy of Agricultural Sciences
Major Science and Technology Projects of Guangxi
Construction of Core Germplasm Bank of Maize in Guangxi and Mining of Disease Resistance Genes