Fig. 4.

Dynamic changes in maize leaf SPAD over time under different treatments. Values are the mean ± SD (n = 4–5). Duncan’s multiple-range test was used to test differences among treatments at the P < 0.05 level. Different lowercase letters in the same column indicate significant differences among treatments within the same day. SL: stable soil water with 55% FC, SH: stable soil water with 75% FC, FL: fluctuating soil water with 55% FC, FH: fluctuating soil water with 75% FC, SWS: soil water stability, W: soil water content, SWS*W: the interaction between soil water stability and soil water content. *, **, and *** indicate significance levels at P < 0.05, P < 0.01, and P < 0.001, respectively, and ns indicates that the difference is not significant