Wheat lines Xiaoyan 41 (XY41) and Xiaoyan 81 (XY81) are hybrid progenies of Xiaoyan 54 (XY54) and 8602, which show distinct differences from their parents in photosynthesis characteristics. In this study, the gas exchange, chlorophyll fluorescence, and 820 nm transmission in flag leaves after anthesis were compared between hybrids XY41 and XY81 and parents XY54 and 8602. At anthesis, contents of chlorophyll a, chlorophyll b, and carotenoids were higher in the hybrids than in the parents, especially in XY81. Photosynthetic rate (Pn) and carboxylation efficiency (CE) were the highest in 8602, whereas stomatal conductance (Gs) was the lowest in XY54, followed by XY41. The four cultivars had similar values of intercellular CO2 concentration (Ci), ratio of variable FK to the amplitude FJ-FO (Wk), maximum quantum yield of PSII (Fv/Fm), efficiency that an electron moves to QA downstream (Ψo), efficiency with which an electron from the intersystem electron carriers moves to electron acceptors in reduced end at the PSI acceptor side (δRo), relative variable transmission at 820 nm (ΔI/Io), actually photochemical efficiency of PSII (ΦPSII), and nonphotochemical quenching (NPQ). After anthesis, the decreases of pigment contents, Pn, CE, Gs, Fv/Fm, δRo, and ΔI/Io and the increase of Wk were larger in XY54 than in other cultivars. No differences were detected in Ci, Ψo, ΦPSII, and NPQ among cultivars, and these parameters varied similarly in 8602 and the hybrids during the whole developmental period tested. Compared with XY 54, XY41, and XY81 had slower decrease in Pn, and this resulted from the difference in dark reaction capacity rather than chlorophyll contents, stomatal conductance, and photosynthetic light reaction capacity. XY41 and XY81 might inherit the high dark reaction capacity from parent 8602.

For the purpose of detecting QTLs associated with photosynthetic related traits, a set of 168 doubled haploid (DH) lines derived from the cross between Huapei 3 and Yumai 57 was tested with 324 SSR markers covering the whole genome of wheat (Triticum aestivum L.). The net photosynthetic rate, gas changes, chlorophyll content, and chlorophyll fluorescence in leaves were investigated in both DH population and the parents at seedling stage. QTL analysis was carried out using QTLNetwork version 2.0 based on the mixed linear model. A total of 17 additive QTLs and 20 pairs of epistatic QTLs were detected for the photosynthetic related traits. All additive QTLs and 16 pairs of epistatic QTLs had interactions with environments. In agreement with the high correlations of phenotypes, several traits shared common QTL regions, and showed tight linkages of these QTLs or pleiotropisms. In the interval between Xwmc215 and Xgdw63 on chromosome 5D, three major additive QTLs for chlorophyll a, chlorophyll b, and carotinoid contents explained the phenotypic variations by 18.23%, 10.40%, and 27.25%, respectively, whose positive alleles were all originated from Huapei 3. These QTLs are favorable for marker-assisted selection. In addition, this region was near the QTLs for net photosynthetic rate (Pn), stomatal conductance (Gs), intercellular CO2 concentration (Ci), and the ratio of Ci to gas conductance (Cr). The QTL for Ci on chromosome 5B was a minor locus but explained relatively great phenotypic variation in the interactions between QTLs and environments.