Evaluation of leaf physiological and biochemical traits during senescence of the wheat core collection in the southwest of China

Agronomical, physiological, and biochemical analysis of the Chinese wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) core collection revealed abundant variation in the indices examined, both within and between ecotype regions. The genotypes from the Yellow-Huai Rivers (YH) region, the Middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River (MY) region and the Southwest China (SWC) region showed good adaptation as measured by heading date, malondialdehyde content (MDA), and superoxide dismutase (SOD) and catalase (CAT) activities and would have good potential for wheat improvement in SWC. Key words: Adaptability, core collection, diversity, leaf traits, southwest China, wheat