Differentiating seasonal trends and environmental responses in wheat through longitudinal chlorophyll a fluorescence phenotyping

Abstract

Broad adoption of chlorophyll fluorescence kinetics in crop phenotyping remains limited by inconsistent parameter definitions and insufficient physiological validation. This study employed a longitudinal phenomic approach to evaluate the diagnostic value of rapid chlorophyll a fluorescence kinetics across diverse wheat genotypes throughout a spring growing season. By combining JIP-test parameters with detailed growth analysis, we built a statistical framework quantifying the predictive power and unexplained variance of biophysical parameters derived from the JIP-test, with an emphasis on performance-estimating indices. Results show that conventional parameters, such as maximum quantum yield of primary photochemistry, remain stable during vegetative growth and are highly sensitive to terminal senescence, yet display considerable noise under transient environmental fluctuations. Conversely, integrative indicators, particularly the total performance index, revealed clear seasonal trends and strong correlations with growth dynamics. By grouping JIP-test parameters functionally, this study offers a rational framework for selecting biophysical indices suited to specific breeding or research goals.

Code and data availability

The supplied article blocks describe chlorophyll fluorescence phenotyping of 30 wheat genotypes and statistical analyses performed in Statistica 10 and MS Excel, but contain no data availability statement, no public dataset or code deposit, and no author-provided URLs. No paper-specific public assets are identified.

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