Maize is the most important crop worldwide in terms of production and yield, but every year a considerable amount of yield is lost due to drought. The foreseen increase in the number of drought spells due to climate change raises the question whether the ability to recover quickly after a water pulse may be a relevant trait for overall drought resistance. We here address the following hypotheses: (i) different maize hybrids exhibit distinct physiological adaptive responses to drought stress and (ii) these responses affect the ability to recover from the stress. (iii) The relative biomass production of maize hybrids, which show severe drought symptoms but are able to recover quickly after a water pulse, is comparable to those hybrids, which invest more energy into tolerance mechanisms. The physiological responses of eight maize hybrids to repeated drought were elucidated employing physiological parameters such as electrolyte leakage, osmolality, relative water content, growth rate and gas-exchange measurements. Only one hybrid was able to maintain biomass production under drought conditions. Amongst the others, two hybrids with similar growth inhibition but contrasting physiological responses were identified by a PCA analysis. Both strategies, i.e. stabilization of leaf water content via resistance mechanisms versus high recovery potential were equally effective in maintaining aboveground biomass production in the scenario of a long drought intermitted by a water-pulse. However, each strategy might be advantageous under different drought stress scenarios. Overall, the recovery potential is underestimated in drought resistance under natural conditions, which includes periodic cycles of drought and rewatering, and should be considered in screening trials.

就产量和产量而言，玉米是世界上最重要的作物，但每年都会因干旱而损失大量产量。气候变化导致干旱次数的可预见增加提出了一个问题，即在水脉冲后快速恢复的能力是否可能是整体抗旱性的相关特征。我们在这里提出以下假设：（i）不同的玉米杂交种对干旱胁迫表现出不同的生理适应性反应，（ii）这些反应影响从胁迫中恢复的能力。(iii) 玉米杂交种的相对生物量产量，表现出严重的干旱症状，但在水脉冲后能够迅速恢复，与那些在耐受机制上投入更多能量的杂交种相当。使用生理参数，如电解质泄漏、渗透压、相对含水量、生长速率和气体交换测量，阐明了八种玉米杂交种对反复干旱的生理反应。只有一种杂交种能够在干旱条件下维持生物质生产。其中，通过 PCA 分析鉴定了两种具有相似生长抑制但生理反应相反的杂种。两种策略，即。在长期干旱被水脉冲中断的情况下，通过抗性机制稳定叶片含水量与高恢复潜力在维持地上生物量生产方面同样有效。然而，在不同的干旱胁迫情景下，每种策略都可能是有利的。总体而言，自然条件下抗旱性的恢复潜力被低估，其中包括干旱和补水的周期性循环，应在筛选试验中予以考虑。