Effects of sprinkler irrigation on photosynthesis features of winter wheat

A field experiment was conducted to examine the effects of sprinkler irrigation on the photosynthesis features including activity of ribulose-1, 5-bisphosphate carboxylaseloxygenase(Rubisco), chlorophyll content and the level of malondialdehyde(MDA) in winter wheat. Results showed that the activity of Rubisco and chlorophyll content increased and the level of MDA decreased under sprinkler irrigation. Compared with that under surface irrigation, the activity of Rubisco and chlorophyll content in leaves under sprinkler irrigation were enhanced by 3.23% - 150% and 1.79% - 30.65% from heading stage to mature stage, and MDA content was reduced by 43.59% - 80.14% in leaves at the mature stage. Especially at the later grain filling period, the activity of Rubisco and chlorophyll content increased and MDA content decreased significantly(P < 0.05). The increases of activity of Rubisco and chlorophyll content and the decrease of MDA in leaves under sprinkler irrigation might improve the photosynthesis rate and delay plant senescence. This might be one of the main reasons that sprinkler irrigation can increase the crop yields.