Waterlogging is one of the major abiotic stresses in agricultural crop production.  However, the application of 2-chloro-6-(trichloromethyl) pyridine (nitrapyrin) can effectually mitigate the losses of nitrogen efficiency and grain yield of summer maize induced by waterlogging.  In order to explore its role to alleviate waterlogging stress on leaf antioxidative system and photosynthetic characteristics of summer maize, a field experiment was executed to research effects of nitrapyrin application on leaf photosynthetic and senescent characteristics of waterlogged summer maize Denghai 605 (DH605) and Zhengdan 958 (ZD958).  Experimental treatments consisted of waterlogging treatment that was applying only urea (WL), waterlogging treatment that was applying urea mixing with nitrapyrin (WL-N), and no waterlogging treatment that was only applying urea (NWL).  Results showed that WL significantly decreased leaf area index (LAI), SPAD, photosynthetic rate (P_n), and protective enzyme activities, accelerated leaf aging, eventually led to a remarkable yield reduction by 38 and 42% for DH605 and ZD958, respectively, compared to NWL.  However, the application of nitrapyrin was useful for relieving waterlogging damages on leaf photosynthetic ability.  LAI, SPAD and P_n of WL-N for DH605 were 10, 19 and 12–24% higher, and for ZD958 were 12, 23 and 7–25% higher, compared to those of WL, respectively.  Moreover, application of nitrapyrin effectually relieved waterlogging losses on antioxidative enzyme activities.  Leaf superoxide dismutase (SOD), peroxidase (POD) and catalase (CAT) activities of WL-N were averagely increased by 24, 15 and 30%, respectively, while malondialdehyde (MDA) content was averagely decreased by 13%, compared to those of WL.  Visibly, nitrapyrin application could improve leaf photosynthetic characteristics and retard leaf aging induced by waterlogging, thereby leading to a yield increase of waterlogged maize.