Using Thermography to Confirm Genotypic Variation for Drought Response in Maize

Area of Science:

• Plant physiology and genetics
• Agricultural science
• Drought stress response

Background:

• Thermography is a viable tool for assessing plant drought tolerance.
• Previous studies linked thermography to gas exchange, biomass, and yield.
• Maize genotype classification for drought tolerance is often field-based, primarily using grain yield.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate thermography for phenotyping contrasting maize genotypes.
• To compare thermography-based classification with established field classifications for drought tolerance.
• To determine if canopy temperature accurately reflects physiological responses under drought.

Main Methods:

• Phenotyping contrasting maize genotypes using thermography.
• Evaluating gas exchange, daily water consumption, leaf relative water content, biomass, and grain yield.
• Comparing thermography-based screening with field selection criteria (grain yield).

Main Results:

• Thermography-based screening of maize genotypes yielded results similar to traditional field methods.
• Canopy temperature partially correlated with gas exchange and water consumption under drought.
• Plant structural and physiological changes under drought influenced energy absorption and dissipation.

Conclusions:

• Thermography is a useful tool for classifying maize genotypes for drought tolerance.
• Canopy temperature alone may not fully capture complex physiological responses to drought stress.
• The relationship between cooler canopies and higher yield under drought is not always direct.