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ARS Home » Midwest Area » Ames, Iowa » Corn Insects and Crop Genetics Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #83229
Title: EFFECTS OF POLLINATION METHOD ON STARCH THERMAL PROPERTIES OF TWENTY-FOUR DENT CORN HYBRIDS GROWN IN TWO LOCATIONS

Author
item KRIEGER, KARLA - IOWA STATE UNIVERSITY
item POLLAK, LINDA
item BRUMM, THOMAS - MBS INCORPORATED
item WHITE, PAMELA - IOWA STATE UNIVERSITY

Submitted to: Cereal Chemistry
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 2/15/1997
Publication Date: N/A
Citation: N/A

Interpretive Summary: Germplasm enhancement of maize (GEM) program is an extensive research effort designed to improve value and usefulness of corn by incorporating corn varieties from Central and South America into US Corn Belt hybrids. Corn lines that produce modified starch are very expensive to develop. One reason for this expense is that breeding trials previously were conducted using controlled pollination (hand pollination). Research was conducted t determine if controlled pollination was necessary. Results showed that there were no differences in starch properties of corn varieties in trials where the pollination was controlled and in trials where open (natural) pollination was used. This research shows that the expensive practice of controlled pollination can be eliminated in developing modified-starch corn lines. Other corn breeders will benefit immediately from this research. Soon the benefits will be realized by the consumers in higher quality starches from corn.

Technical Abstract: The effects of three pollination methods on starch quality of twenty-four corn hybrids were studied to determine the effect of self-pollination, and the potential for eliminating self-pollination. Hybrids were planted at two Iowa locations; Story City and Ames. In Story City, hybrids received three pollination treatments; self, small-open (representing a research of yield test plots) and large-open (representing a farmer's field). Self- pollinated and small-open pollinated corn were grown in two-row plots, whereas large-open pollinated corn was grown in a plot of 12.8 m x 8 rows. Hybrids grown at Ames received only two pollination treatments: self and large-open. Starch was extracted from all samples and gelatinization and retrogradation properties were determined by using differential scanning calorimetry. Starch properties were different among hybrids. Significant differences (P is equal to or less than 0.05) were noted among pollination methods and between locations. The enthalpy values for gelatinization were not different among pollination methods at Ames and Story City. The onset temperature values for gelatinization and range values for retrogradation were significantly different among pollination methods at both Ames and Story City. Therefore, if researchers are concerned with producing corn genotypes having specific starch characteristics, self- pollination is recommended.