Abstract: Photosynthesis is a very complicated physical,chemical and biological process,which is affected by many factors.This article summarized the advances in photosynthesis and solar energy utilization research in crops,analysed the effects of eco-physiological structure(leaf age,leaf position,chlorophyll content) and population on photosynthetic rate and solar radiation utilization.The restricted mechanism by environmental conditions(light intensity,light quality,soil moisture,temperature,CO₂ concentration,nutrient element and so on) on photosynthesis was also discussed.The roles of different approaches in solar radiation utilization were identified.