Effect of heat stress on photosynthetic characteristics of different green organs of winter wheat during grain-filling stage

Four winter wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) varieties ("JD 8", "Jing 411","Centurk" and "Tam 202") were used to study the effect of heat stress on photosynthetic characteristics of flag leaf blade, nag leaf sheath, peduncle, glume, lemma and awn during grain-filling stage. The results showed that heat acclimation during grain-filling stage increased thermotolerance of wheat with significant differences among different green organs. During heat stress, the decreases of the efficiency of primary light energy conversion (F-v/F-m) of PS II and pigment (chlorophyll and carotenoid) content were much slower in peduncle, flag leaf sheath and glume than in nag leaf blade, lemma and ann; and the percentage of decrease in net photosynthetic rate (P-n) of ear was lower than that of the nag leaf blade. The measured photosynthetic parameters (F-v/F-m, P-n and pigment content) of "JD 8", a relatively heat tolerant variety, declined more slowly than those of the other three varieties during the whole heat stress period.