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The NAC transcription factors play an important regulatory role in plant growth and development. In order to explore the impact of NAC6 on carotenoid metabolism in postharvest mango fruit, this study investigated changes in the carotenoid contents as well as the expression of NAC6 and key enzymes involved in carotenoid synthesis and metabolism in the mature peel and pulp of 2 mango varieties, “Tainong” and “Jinhuang”, at commercial maturity, during postharvest storage under constant temperature (20 ℃), constant humidity (85%), and dark conditions. The results showed that both mango varieties contained α-carotene, lutein, β-carotene, β-cryptoxanthin, and zeaxanthin. Throughout the storage process, the expression of NAC6 in both mango varieties showed a continuous upward trend, reaching a peak in the late stage of storage, followed by a slight decline. Correlation analysis showed that NAC6 might induce the gene expression of 1-deoxy-D-xylulose-5-phosphate reductoisomerase, farnesyl pyrophosphate synthase, geranylgeranyl pyrophosphate synthase, phytoene synthase, phytoene desaturase, ζ-carotene desaturase, carotenoid isomerase, β-carotene hydroxylase, and violaxanthin de-epoxidase in mango fruit, while inhibiting the gene expression of lycopene β-cyclase, neoxanthin synthase, and 9-cis-epoxycarotenoid dioxygenase. The expression of NAC6 in the peel and pulp of “Tainong” mango was significantly negatively correlated with the gene expression of carotenoid cleavage dioxygenase (CCD), with correlation coefficients of −0.841 0 and −0.838 3, respectively. NAC6 might delay the degradation of carotenoids by inhibiting the expression of CCD. The results from this research provide an experimental basis for the postharvest storage and preservation of mango fruit as well as its quality control.

【Background and objective】 Saline-alkali soils are widely distributed in Ningxia. Because of the scarcity of precipitation, such soils are often reclaimed by flooding rice field combined with subsurface drain. This paper presents the results of an experimental study of water and salt movement in a paddy field as affected by the sand filter in the subsurface drain. 【Method】 The field experiment was designed based on our current understanding and previous experimental results of the subsurface drains in different regions across the province. The experiment compared three filters: fine sand, mixture of fine sand and fine gravel sand at 1∶2 ratio and fine gravel. In each treatment, we measured spatiotemporal dynamics of soil water and soil salt. 【Result】 The filter with mixture of fine sand and fine gravel at 1∶2 ratio effectively reduced water content in the top 0~60 cm soil, increasing soil desalination during irrigation period as a result. Decrease in water content in the top 0~60 cm soil reduced evaporation, thereby alleviating salt accumulation in the root zone and reliveing salt stress to the crop. 【Conclusion】 The most effective filter for the subsurface drain in the studied paddy field is a mixture of fine sand and fine gavel at 1∶2 ratio.

The yellow-fleshed loquat is abundant in carotenoids, which determine the fruit's color, provide vitamin A, and offer anti-inflammatory and anti-cancer health benefits. In this research, the impact of abscisic acid (ABA), a plant hormone, on carotenoid metabolism and flesh pigmentation in ripening loquat fruits was determined. Results revealed that ABA treatment enhanced the overall content of carotenoids in loquat fruit, including major components like β-cryptoxanthin, lutein, and β-carotene, linked to the upregulation of most genes in the carotenoid biosynthesis pathway. Furthermore, a transcription factor, EjWRKY6, whose expression was induced by ABA, was identified and was thought to play a role in ABA-induced carotenoid acceleration. Transient overexpression of EjWRKY6 in Nicotiana benthamiana and stable genetic transformation in Nicotiana tabacum with EjWRKY6 indicated that both carotenoid production and genes related to carotenoid biosynthesis could be upregulated in transgenic plants. A dual-luciferase assay proposed a probable transcriptional control between EjWRKY6 and promoters of genes associated with carotenoid production. To sum up, pre-harvest ABA application could lead to carotenoid biosynthesis in loquat fruit through the EjWRKY6-induced carotenoid biosynthesis pathway. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BACKGROUND: Melatonin, a hormone present in animals and some plants, has garnered attention for its potential in preserving harvested produce. Softening due to changes in cell wall composition and wilting caused by weight loss are the major reasons for the loss of commercial value in postharvest okra. This study aimed to evaluate the impact of melatonin on the softening and weight loss of postharvest okra. RESULTS: The results revealed that the application of melatonin had a significant influence on the maintenance of fruit firmness by inhibiting the breakdown and dissolution of cell wall polysaccharides by suppressing the expression of specific genes responsible for cell wall degradation in okra. Conversely, melatonin treatment positively influenced the expression of genes involved in the synthesis of cell wall components. Furthermore, the treatment exhibited notable benefits in reducing weight loss in okra, which was accomplished by promoting the closure of stomata – the tiny pores on the surface of the fruit. CONCLUSION: Melatonin could serve as a novel approach to reduce water loss, delay fruit softening and extend the shelf life of okra. © 2024 Society of Chemical Industry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Laccases are the key enzymes responsible for plant lignin biosynthesis and responses to environment stress. However, the roles of LAC genes in plant disease resistance are still largely unknown, especially in grapevine, one of the most important horticultural crops in the world. Its quality and yield are very vulnerable to gray mold disease caused by Botrytis cinerea. In total, 30 VvLAC genes were identified and found to be unevenly distributed on seven chromosomes; they were classified into seven groups based on phylogenetic analysis according to the criteria applied in Arabidopsis thaliana. Collinearity and synteny analyses identified some orthologous gene pairs in Vitis vinifera and a few paralogous gene pairs among grape and peach. The VvLAC gene family has diverse gene structures and a highly conserved motif composition. The prominent presence of the MYB cis-elements in each VvLAC promoter highlighted MYB transcriptional factors as the main regulators of VvLAC genes. Furthermore, twenty-five VvLAC genes with functional redundancy are probably implicated in grape lignin biosynthesis. The expression patterns of the LAC genes in grape leaves of Chinese wild V. amurensis 'Shuangyou' (SY), a germplasm highly resistant to B. cinerea, were investigated through transcriptomic data and qRT-PCR verification. Combined with the phylogenetic analysis, with AtLACs participating in lignin metabolism, and the cis-element analysis, VaLAC14, VaLAC19, VaLAC24 and VaLAC30 were identified as key candidate genes for lignin biosynthesis in the grape response to B. cinerea. This study supplies a comprehensive understanding of the classification, evolution, structure and responses of the grape LAC genes against B. cinerea. It also provides valuable genetic resources for functional characterization towards enhancing grapevine disease resistance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Choosing an appropriate drying method is crucial for producing dried cherry blossoms with desirable quality. This study is designed to assess the effects of seven different drying methods—hot-air drying (HAD), infrared hot-air drying (IHAD), catalytic infrared drying (CID), relative humidity drying (RHD), pulsed vacuum drying (PVD), microwave vacuum drying (MVD), and vacuum freeze drying (VFD)—on drying time and various attributes of cherry blossoms, such as appearance, bioactive compounds, antioxidant activity, α-glucosidase activity, and sensory properties. Our findings revealed that MVD recorded the shortest drying time, followed by PVD, CID, IHAD, RHD, HAD, and VFD. In qualities, VFD-dried petals exhibited superior appearance, bioactive compounds, antioxidant activity, and α-glucosidase inhibitory capability; MVD-dried petals were a close second. Furthermore, the quality of tea infusions prepared from the dried petals was found to be significantly correlated with the quality of the dried petals themselves. Regarding sensory attributes, VFD-dried petals produced tea infusions most similar in flavor and taste to those made with fresh petals and received the highest sensory evaluation scores, followed by MVD, PVD, RHD, CID, IHAD, and HAD. These results could offer a scientific foundation for the mass production of high-quality dried cherry blossoms in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Long processing time represents a serious challenge in hot air drying since it led to high energy consumption and quality deterioration. A synergistic pretreatment of artificial perforation and alcohol maceration (PAT) was proposed in this study to improve hot air drying of garlic. Samples without pretreated, perforated, and subjected to alcohol pretreatments were used as control. The results showed that PAT pretreatment significantly reduced the drying time and energy consumed by 36.67%. Analysis showed that the mechanisms underlying the highest drying rate of PAT pretreated sample included pre-dehydration, capillary flow promotion and cell permeability enhancement. Samples pretreated with PAT exhibited the highest whiteness value, minimum shrinkage, lowest brittleness, and especially the highest content of volatile components, which is essential for its application as a spice. The antioxidant activity, total phenolics and allicin content were low in the PAT samples compared with other samples. This study provides a simple and effective approach to improve the drying of garlic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pomegranate fruit production and consumption are restricted by appropriate postharvest handling practices. 1–MCP (1–methylcyclopropene) is a natural preservative of fruits and vegetables; however, its effects on the storage of different pomegranate varieties have not been extensively investigated. Herein, the effects of 1.0 μL L−1 1–MCP on postharvest pomegranate fruit of three soft-seed 'Mollar', 'Malisi', and 'Tunisan soft seed' and two semi-soft-seed 'Moyuruanzi' and 'Dongyan' were investigated over 90 d (days) under low-temperature storage at 4 ± 0.5 °C with a relative humidity of 85–90%. Several indexes of exterior and interior quality were recorded, the sensory quality was evaluated, and the respiration and ethylene production were also determined. The results showed that peel browning was generally more severe in the soft-seed varieties than in the semi-soft-seed varieties. Significantly lighter peel browning presented in the three soft-seed fruits from 45 d after the 1–MCP treatment, with 35%, 19%, and 28% less than those controls at 90 d, correspondingly. However, 1–MCP only significantly decreased peel browning in the semi soft-seed fruits at 60 days. A prominent decrease in weight loss was recorded in all five varieties, with 'Malisi' showing the largest and 'Dongyan' the smallest difference between the 1–MCP and control treatments. Through the results of color, physiological, and chemical changes, as well as sensory properties, better color and total acceptance were found with higher titratable acids and vitamin C but with decreased anthocyanins in most fruits treated with 1–MCP. In contrast to the control, remarkable suppression of ethylene production peaks in all whole fruits and periodical increase in respiration rates in the soft-seed whole fruits were activated at 30–60 d after storage by the 1–MCP treatment, roughly when peel browning occurred and began increasing. Overall, our findings provided a crucial foundation for extending the application of 1–MCP in postharvest preservation of pomegranates. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the face of the fossil energy crisis, hydrogen energy has attracted widespread attention because of its cleanness and efficiency. Therefore, hydrogen production by water electrolysis has become a new research upsurge. This research mainly focused on the synthesis, characterization and application of Pt/Cu alloy catalyst. Pt/Cu alloy was synthesized by solvothermal method. The composition, structure and morphology of Pt/Cu alloy were characterized by XRD, SEM, TEM, EDS, XPS, etc, to explore the relationship between its structure and performance. The catalytic performance of Pt/Cu alloy under different electrolyte were tested by electrochemical test system. In 0. 5 mol/L H2SO4, the initial overpotential of Pt/Cu alloy is 20. 3 mV (at 10 mA ⋅ cm-2) and the Tafel is 37.56 mV ⋅ dec-1. At the same time, the initial overpotential and Tafel of Pt/Cu alloy are 35.0 mV (at 10 mA ⋅ cm-2) and 52. 12 mV ⋅ dec-1 respectively in 1 mol/L phosphate buffered saline (PBS). In addition, the initial overpotential and the Tafel of Pt/Cu alloy are 25. 3 mV (at 10 mA ⋅ cm-2) and 36. 82 mV ⋅ dec-1 respectively in 1 mol/L KOH. It can be found that Pt/Cu alloy exhibits better catalytic performance in acidic electrolyte. Moreover, further experiments show that the Pt/Cu alloy catalyst has high electrocatalytic activity surface area (30. 83 cm²) and good cycle stability in acidic electrolyte. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: Color is one of the most significant quality characteristics of Chinese bayberry (Morella rubra). Exploration of the anthocyanin biosynthesis mechanism is crucial for the genetic improvement of color quality. Many MYB transcription factors are reported to control the biosynthesis of anthocyanins in a variety of plant species. However, it is still unclear how the MYB genes in Chinese bayberry contribute to the synthesis of anthocyanins. In this research, we isolated the MYB transcription factor, MrMYB9, based on comparative transcriptome analysis of red and white Chinese bayberry fruits. We also profiled MrMYB9 gene expression during the maturation period and in specific tissues. Through bioinformatics and molecular biology experiments, MrMYB9 was subsequently identified as a transcription factor of the R2R3-MYB type associated with anthocyanin biosynthesis. Our research sheds insights on the biosynthesis of anthocyanins during color maturation in the Chinese bayberry. Anthocyanin is a class of water-soluble flavonoids found in Chinese bayberry (Morella rubra) that is not only responsible for the variety of colors visible in nature but also has numerous health-promoting benefits in humans. Through comparative transcriptomics, we isolated and identified a transcription factor (TF) of the R2R3-MYB type, MrMYB9, in order to explore the anthocyanin biosynthesis pathway in red and white Chinese bayberries. MrMYB9 transcript was positively correlated with anthocyanin level and anthocyanin biosynthetic gene expression during Chinese bayberry fruit maturation (R-values in the range 0.54–0.84, p < 0.05). Sequence analysis revealed that MrMYB9 shared a similar R2R3 domain with MYB activators of anthocyanin biosynthesis in other plants. MrMYB9 substantially transactivated promoters of anthocyanin biosynthesis-related EBGs (MrCHI, MrF3'H, and MrANS) and LBGs (MrUFGT) upon co-expression of the AtEGL3 gene. Our findings indicated that MrMYB9 may positively modulate anthocyanin accumulation in Chinese bayberry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The tailoring of the charge transfer between support material and transition metal active phase is an effective strategy for fine tuning the electronic structure of the catalyst active site, and hence improving the activity and stability of the reaction. This works presents that Co nanoparticles supported on N‐doped mesoporous hollow carbon nanospheres (Co/NMHCS) decouple the effect of electronic structure on catalytic performance. The detailed experimental and theoretical results reveal the charge distribution at the Co/NMHCS interface due to N‐doped MHCS. With tuning the electron redistribution, the interface between Co nanoparticles and NMHCS as the active site shows the strong capability to adsorb and reduce the OOH* and proton, thus leading to the optimal ORR, OER, and HER activity in Co/NMHCS. Furthermore, Co/NMHCS‐based Zn–air battery exhibits high power density of 185 mW cm−2, and high gravimetric energy density of 753 mAh gZn−1. Density functional theory (DFT) reveals the electrons accumulate directly on the NMHCS support, which originates from an interplay between Co nanoparticles and the NMHCS support. This work provides constructive guidance for precisely regulating the interface electronic structures to achieve excellent electrocatalytic performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The control of chilling injury in peach fruit by a new regulator network, that exogenous γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA) regulates the metabolisms of polyamines (PAs), the GABA shunt, and proline, is still unclear. This study found that GABA induced an increase in the expression of PpADC and PpODC and a decrease in the expression of PpPAO expression, resulting in the accumulation of PAs. There was also an increase in the expression of PpGAD, which improved GABA content, and an increase in the expression of PpP5CS and PpOAT, which improved proline content. The correlation analysis showed that an increase in PpADC/PpP5CS expression was closely associated with the accumulation of putrescine and that the synergistic increase in the expression of PpODC and PpGAD/PpP5CS/PpOAT was closely related to the accumulation of spermine, proline, and GABA induced by GABA. Importantly, arginine and PpADC played a key role in putrescine accumulation, whereas ornithine and PpODC/PpOAT played a crucial role in the synergistic accumulation of spermine, proline, and GABA induced by GABA. This study provides new information on GABA-induced cold tolerance in peach fruit. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rapidly and accurately monitoring the physiological and biochemical parameters of grape leaves is the key to controlling the quality of wine grapes. In this study, a Pika L hyperspectral imaging system (400–1000 nm) was used to acquire hyperspectral image information from grape leaves. New vegetation indices were developed on the basis of the screened sensitive wavebands to quantitatively predict changes in these parameters (the leaf chlorophyll level (SPAD), leaf nitrogen content (LNC) and chlorophyll fluorescence parameters (ChlF parameters)). The results showed that SPAD reached its maximum at the grape turning stage and declined thereafter. The vegetation index (D 735 − D 573) / (D 735 + D 573) was able to predict SPAD fairly well (validation dataset R2 = 0.50). LNC reached its maximum at the grape maturity stage. D 682 / R 525 was highly correlated with LNC. Except for NPQ, all ChlF parameters showed a decreasing trend from the fruiting to harvesting stages. Among the dark-adapted ChlF parameters, F V / F m had the strongest correlation to the new vegetation index (D 735 − D 544) / (D 735 + D 544) (modelling dataset R2 = 0.68), and Fo had the weakest correlation. Among the light-adapted ChlF parameters, Y(II) had the strongest correlation to the new vegetation index D 676 / R 571 (validation dataset R2 = 0.63); this index also had good predictive power for Fm' (validation dataset R2 = 0.52) but low predictive power for Fo'. All the calculated vegetation indices had weak relationships with NPQ. In addition, this study also verified the predictive abilities of vegetation indices developed in previous studies. This study can provide a technical basis for the nondestructive monitoring of the physiological and biochemical parameters of grape leaves with hyperspectral imaging systems. • Changes in chlorophyll fluorescence parameters of grape leaves are more sensitive to changes in leaf nitrogen content than SPAD. • New vegetation indices are good predictors of dark-adapted chlorophyll fluorescence parameters. • The difference in photosynthetic activity within the same leaf becomes greater as leaf senescence increases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Anthocyanins and proanthocyanidins (PAs) are important flavonoids in Chinese bayberry (Morella rubra), which functions in fruit color and exhibits multiple health promoting and disease-preventing effects. To investigate the regulation of their biosynthesis in Chinese bayberries, we isolated and identified a subgroup 4 MYB transcription factor (TF), MrMYB6, and found MrMYB6 shared similar repressor domains with other MYB co-repressors of anthocyanin and PA biosynthesis after sequence analysis. Gene expression results revealed the transcripts of MrMYB6 were negatively correlated with the anthocyanin and insoluble PA contents and also with the gene expressions involved in anthocyanin biosynthesis and PA specific genes such as MrLAR and MrANR during the late ripening stages of bayberries. In addition, overexpression of MrMYB6 in tobacco inhibited the transcript levels of NtCHI, NtLAR , and NtANR2 , resulting into a decline in the levels of anthocyanins and PAs in tobacco flowers. We further found that MrMYB6 interacted with MrbHLH1 and MrWD40-1 to form functional complexes that acted to directly repress the promoter activities of the PA-specific gene MrLAR and MrANR and the anthocyanin-specific gene MrANS and MrUFGT. Taken together, our results suggested that MrMYB6 might negatively regulate anthocyanin and PA accumulation in Chinese bayberry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A novel hollow mesoporous Fe3O4/nGO composite (HMFG) as a multifunctional drug carrier was prepared for the first time via a solvothermal reaction. This composite was formed from nano-graphene oxide (nGO) embedding into Fe3O4 microspheres and has a simple composition but can exhibit multifunctional features. The results show that HMFG is monodisperse microspheres with a diameter of 320 nm, has a high magnetization saturation value for drug targeting and its hollow mesoporous structure endows the composite with a larger surface area (57.35 m2 g−1). Most importantly, in this system, the introduction of nGO can greatly improve the microwave thermal transfer and microwave-triggered drug release performances of HMFG. The microwave transfer experiment showed that HMFG2–5 has the best microwave thermal conversion performance, having the highest temperature after 90 s, reaching 52 °C. Doxorubicin hydrochloride (DOX) as an anti-cancer model drug was used for drug loading and release experiments. The drug loading percentage was 100% after 40 min and within 110 min, the drug release percentage was as high as 86.7% under microwave radiation. The test results proved that the HMFG we prepared is a potential drug carrier for highly efficient microwave-triggered controlled drug release. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Proanthocyanidins (PAs) are distributed widely in Chinese bayberry fruit and have been associated with human health benefits, but molecular and biochemical characterization of PA biosynthesis remains unclear. Here, two genes encoding key PA biosynthetic enzymes, anthocyanidin reductase (ANR) and leucoanthocyanidin reductase (LAR) were isolated in bayberry fruit. MrANR was highly expressed at the early stage of fruit development when soluble PAs accumulated at high levels. Meanwhile, the transcript abundance of both MrANR and MrLAR observed at the late stage was paralleled with the high amounts of insoluble PAs. LC-MS/MS showed that PAs in developing Chinese bayberry fruits were comprised predominantly of epigallocatechin-3-O-gallate terminal subunits, while the extension subunits were a mixture of epigallocatechin-3-O-gallate, epigallocatechin and catechin. Recombinant MrANR protein converted cyanidin to a mixture of epicatechin and catechin, and delphinidin to a mixture of epigallocatechin and gallocatechin in vitro. Recombinant MrLAR was active with leucocyanidin as substrate to produce catechin. Ectopic expression of MrANR in tobacco reduced anthocyanin levels but increased PA accumulation. The catechin and epicatechin contents in transgenic flowers overexpressedMrANR were significantly higher than those of wild-type. However, overexpression of MrLAR in tobacco led to an increase in catechin levels but had no impact on PA contents. Quantitative real time PCR revealed that the loss of anthocyanin in transgenic flowers overexpressed MrANR or MrLAR is probably attributed to decreased expression of tobacco chalcone isomerase (CHI) gene. Our results not only reveal in vivo and in vitro functions for ANR and LAR but also provide a resource for understanding the mechanism of PA biosynthesis in Chinese bayberry fruit. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Spinel ferrites can be used in magnetic targeting and microwave heating and can therefore be used for targeted and controllable drug delivery. We used the cetyltrimethylammonium bromide-assisted solvothermal method to synthesize a series of spinel ferrites (MFeO, M=Mg, Mn, Fe, Co, Ni, Cu, Zn) with a mesoporous or hollow-mesoporous structure suitable for direct drug loading and the particle diameters ranging from 200 to 350 nm. We investigated the effects of M cation on the morphology and properties of these products by analyzing their transmission electron microscopy images, mesoporous properties, magnetic properties, and microwave responses. We chose hollow-mesoporous MFeO (M=Fe, Co, Zn) nanoparticles, which had better overall properties, for the drug VP16 (etoposide) loading and microwave-controlled release. The CoFeO and FeO particles trapped 61.5 and 64.8%, respectively, of the VP16, which were higher than that (60.4%) of ZnFeO. Controllable drug release by these simple magnetic nanocarriers can be achieved by microwave irradiation, and VP16-loaded CoFeO released the most VP16 molecules (more than 50% after 1 h and 69.1% after 6 h) under microwave irradiation. Our results confirm the favorable drug loading and microwave-controlled delivery by these ferrites, and lay a theoretical foundation to promote clinical application of the targeted controllable drug delivery system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Soil water deficits limit the photosynthetic productivity of crops, resulting in reduced yields. However, the effects of soil water stress on leaf gas exchange parameters, actual quantum efficiency (Φ PSII), photosynthetic capacity (maximum electron transfer rate ETRmax, maximum photosynthetic rate An max , maximum carboxylation rate Vc max25) and environmental parameters, such as photosynthetic active radiation (PAR), vapour pressure deficit (VPD), remains unclear. Especially, the dynamic responses of crops with different canopy structure types and phenological stages to water stress needs to be further clarified. In this study, we conducted a field experiment using wheat and maize under complete rainfall isolation to study the effects of coupled water stress and environmental factors on leaf gas exchange processes and photosynthetic capacity. Our results showed that the Φ PSII - PAR relationship in the wheat leaves(a C 3 plant) was more sensitive to water stress than was that in the maize leaves (a C 4 plant) and significantly differed with phenological stage. The coupling of water stress with VPD had a more pronounced effect on the gas exchange parameters (net photosynthetic rate (An), stomatal conductance (g sw), transpiration efficiency (TE), intrinsic water use efficiency (WUEi)) than coupling with PAR, especially for wheat, where the coupling effect of soil water content (SWC) with VPD was more pronounced as the degree of water stress increased. The SWC status did not significantly alter the wheat An -PAR relationship, in contrast to that in maize, wherein a strong effect of SWC on the An -PAR relationship was observed. Water stress had a more pronounced limiting effect on ETR max in wheat than in maize. An max showed a weaker relationship with SWC in both wheat and maize, whereas Vc max25 exhibited a stronger relationship with SWC. Additionally, the physiological response process should take into account the differences between phenological periods. Our study can be used as a reference for precise field irrigation. ● The response mechanism of the Φ PSII -PAR relationship to soil water stress was established. ● The mechanism of coupling soil water stress and environmental parameters on leaf gas exchange was clarified. ● Contribution of soil moisture and photosynthetic pigment content to leaf photosynthetic capacity. ● The effect of potential phenological stages on physiological characteristics under soil water stress. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]