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Title: CARBOHYDRATES IN NEAR-ISOGENIC SHRUNKEN2 SWEET MAIZE KERNELS

Author
item Russo, Vincent
item MANESS, NIELS - OKLAHOMA STATE UNIVERSITY

Submitted to: Cereal Research Communications
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 9/11/2002
Publication Date: 12/15/2002
Citation: RUSSO, V.M., MANESS, N. CARBOHYDRATES IN NEAR-ISOGENIC SHRUNKEN2 SWEET MAIZE KERNELS. CEREAL RESEARCH COMMUNICATIONS. 2002. v. 30. p. 411-414.

Interpretive Summary: One aspect of developing improved cultivars is in understanding what changes parental material undergo as they mature. In sweet corn one criteria evaluated for improvement is carbohydrate content of kernels. For parental tissue the amount, and type, of carbohydrates in physiologically mature kernels can affect their germination and stand establishment. Amounts of sugars, starch and water soluble polysaccharides in kernels of parental lines, susceptible and resistant to the rust disease organism, were determined at the fresh-market and physiological maturity stages. At fresh-market and physiological maturity kernels from the susceptible parental line generally had more sugar, but less starch and water soluble polysaccharides then the resistant parental line. Understanding how parental lines differ is useful in the development of improved cultivars.

Technical Abstract: Sweet corn breeding lines are harvested at physiological maturity to provide seed for the next generation. It is important to know how sugar quality and quantity in kernels change as plants obtain physiological maturity so that superior cultivars can be developed. Kernels of iso-lines of a shrunken2 sweet corn, susceptible and resistant to the causal organism mof rust disease, were harvested at the fresh-market and physiological maturity stages and assayed for content of glucose, fructose, sucrose, total sugar, starch and water soluble polysaccharides (WSP). At fresh- market the susceptible iso-line had higher levels of glucose, fructose, total sugar and WSP, while the resistant iso-line had higher levels of sucrose. There was no difference in the amount of starch in kernels. At physiological maturity, the susceptible iso-line had higher levels of each sugar and their totals, but lower levels of starch and WSP. Since these iso-lines appear to manipulate sugars differently they can likely be manipulated to better understand how to incorporate desired traits in improved cultivars.