This study was aimed to determine the photosynthetic response of spring oilseed rape to heatwave (HW), drought, nutrient deficiency (N-D) and combined stress. HW and drought acted in a different manner. Under both adequate and deprived soil nutrient conditions, in the presence of adequate water supply, HW up regulated the photosynthetic performance of rape. However, drought-induced stress was highly exacerbated under HW, leading to the incomplete recovery that was additionally impaired by nutrient deficiency.