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Improved photosynthetic characteristics correlated with enhanced biomass in a heterotic F1 hybrid of maize (Zea mays L.)

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Abstract

Heterosis is a phenomenon wherein F1 hybrid often displays phenotypic superiority and surpasses its parents in terms of growth and agronomic traits. Investigations on the physiological and biochemical properties of the heterotic F1 hybrid are important to uncover the mechanisms underlying heterosis in plants. In the present study, the photosynthetic capacity of a heterotic F1 hybrid of Zea mays L. (DHM 117) that exhibited a higher growth rate and increased biomass was compared with its parental inbreds at vegetative and reproductive stages in the field during 2017 and 2018. The net photosynthetic rate (Pn), stomatal conductance (gs), transpiration rate (E) as well as foliar carbohydrates were higher in F1 hybrid than parental inbreds at vegetative and reproductive stages. An increase in total chlorophyll content along with better chlorophyll a fluorescence characteristics including effective quantum yield of photosystem II (ΔF/Fm’), maximum quantum yield of PSII (Fv/Fm), photochemical quenching (qp) and decreased non-photochemical quenching (NPQ) was observed in F1 hybrid than the parental inbreds. Further, the expression of potential genes related to C4 photosynthesis was considerably upregulated in F1 hybrid than the parental inbreds during vegetative and reproductive stages. Moreover, the F1 hybrid exhibited distinct heterosis in yield with 63% and 62% increase relative to parental inbreds during 2017 and 2018. We conclude that improved photosynthetic efficiency associated with increased foliar carbohydrates could have contributed to higher growth rate, biomass and yield in the F1 hybrid.

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Acknowledgements

RKM gratefully acknowledges the Department of Biotechnology (DBT), New Delhi for providing DBT-JRF fellowship (DBT/JRF/14/AL/128, dated 20th June 2014) to carry out this work. We are very much grateful to Prof. S. Sokka Reddy, Institute of Biotechnology, Professor Jayashankar Telangana State Agricultural University (PJTSAU), Rajendranagar, Hyderabad, and Dr. M. R. Sudharshan, Principal Scientist, Maize Research Centre, PJTSAU, Rajendranagar, Hyderabad, for providing the seeds of inbreds and F1 hybrid used in the study. We also thank Dr. M. Muthamilarasan, Department of Plant Sciences for his help in editing the manuscript. We also thank DBT-CREBB programme of the School of Life Sciences and DST-FIST Level-II (Phase-II) and UGC-SAP-DRS-1 programmes of the Department of Plant Sciences, University of Hyderabad for the infrastructural support. We also thank the University of Hyderabad for providing partial financial support for research from UGC-University Potential for Excellence (UPE) and DST-PURSE programmes that helped in conducting few experiments in this study.

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  1. Department of Plant Sciences, School of Life Sciences, University of Hyderabad, Gachibowli, Hyderabad, 500 046, Telangana, India

    Rajesh Kumar Meena, Kanubothula Sitarami Reddy, Ranjana Gautam, Attipalli Ramachandra Reddy & Padmaja Gudipalli

  2. Institute of Biotechnology, Prof. Jayashankar Telangana State Agricultural University, Hyderabad, 500 030, Telangana, India

    Surender Maddela

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  1. Rajesh Kumar Meena
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  6. Padmaja Gudipalli
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PG has conceived the research project and together with RKM has designed the experiments. RKM, KSR and RG has carried out the experiments and the data was analysed and interpreted by RKM with the help of KSR and PG. RKM, RG and SM wrote the manuscript with inputs and corrections from PG and ARR. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.

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Correspondence to Padmaja Gudipalli.

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Meena, R.K., Reddy, K.S., Gautam, R. et al. Improved photosynthetic characteristics correlated with enhanced biomass in a heterotic F1 hybrid of maize (Zea mays L.). Photosynth Res 147, 253–267 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11120-021-00822-6

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