Effect of imazapic residues on photosynthetic traits and chlorophyll fluorescence of maize seedlings

The influence of various concentrations of imazapic residues (0–800 μg a.i. kg–1) on the growth, chlorophyll content and photosynthetic characteristics of maize seedlings was studied in a greenhouse pot experiment. Plant height, root length, shoot dry mass, root dry mass, and total dry mass of maize declined with the increase of imazapic residue concentrations. The root/shoot ratio initially decreased and then increased in presence of imazapic, which indicated that the effects of imazapic residues on plant height and root length might differ in maize seedlings. Lowered chlorophyll content and net photosynthetic rate were observed in leaves of maize seedlings for all treatments and indicated a dose-response relationship to imazapic concentrations. Intercellular carbon dioxide concentration, transpiration rate, and stomatal conductance also declined to varying extents, but the chlorophyll a/b ratio increased gradually together with the increase of imazapic residue concentrations. Generally, the maize seedlings were negatively affected by the imazapic residue in soil. Response of root length and biomass to imazapic residue could be the important index for maize variety selection.