Photosynthesis, chlorophyll fluorescence, and leaf water parameters were measured in six Portuguese maize (Zea mays L.) cultivars during and following a period of drought stress. The leaf relative water content (RWC) responded differently among cultivars but except for cultivar PB369, recovered close to initial values after watering was restored. Photosynthetic rate and stomatal conductance decreased with drought but more slowly in cultivars PB269 and PB260 than in cultivars AD3R, PB64, PB304 and PB369. Water use efficiency (WUE) decreased during the water stress treatment although with cultivar PB260 the decrease was marked only when the RWC fell below 40%. Recovery of WUE was seen with all cultivars except PB369. The maximum quantum efficiency of photosystem II, the photochemical quenching coefficient, the electron transport rate in PSII and the estimated functional plastoquinone pool tended to decrease with drought, while the non-photochemical quenching coefficient increased. The parameters estimated from chlorophyll fluorescence did not recover in PB369, during re-watering. The results show that PB260 and PB269 were the most tolerant and PB369 was the least tolerant cultivars to water stress. The variation found among the cultivars tested suggests the existence of valuable genetic resources for crop improvement in relation to drought tolerance.
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