engleski

Concentrations of copper in maize grain determined in a vast breeding experiments

As part of a biofortification program in maize at the Agricultural institute Osijek, Croatia, two maize elite dent inbred lines, having significantly different micronutrient concentrations according to our previous studies, were crossed in order to commence plant nutritional genomics studies. Preliminary results demonstrated that these two lines differed particularly in copper (Cu) concentrations of grain. Copper has an impact on grain protein quality and as important performance promoter in some animals can be of interest for biofortification studies. Objective of this study was to examine differences between the two maize inbred lines, as well as among the progeny of these lines in copper concentration of grain. Randomly chosen F2 plants from the cross of the parents were selfed to produce 294 independently derived F4 plants (F3:4). The 294 F4 families along with six checks, which included the parents and the subsequent F1 generation, were grown in 2005 in two replicates and randomized as a 30x10 alpha (0, 1) design, on eutric cambisol, the soil of moderate fertility showing no mineral deficiency. For chemical analysis, grain samples were taken from a mix of the five selfed ears per plot. Cu concentrations in kernels were determined by inductively coupled plasma (ICP-OES) technique using Jobin-Yvon Ultrace 238 ICP-OES spectrometer. Analysis of variance showed significant variation among 300 genotypes for Cu concentration ranged from 0.29 to 2.81 mg/kg of dry weight. The first inbred line (parent) had in average 0.61 (standard error = 0.02) mg/kg, while the other parent had 2.16 (standard error = 0.09) mg/kg Cu in grain, indicating a good starting point for plant nutritional genomics studies. The relationships between concentrations of copper and other trace elements in maize grain will be presented.

copper ; maize grain ; inbred lines ; genotypes

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