Selection of high quality protein sweet corn progenies through electrophoresis techniques

Abstract

Forty-eight endogamic sweet corn progenies (S₂ + 1 sib) with vitreous-yellow kernels were obtained from crosses between a sweet corn cultivar based on the gene brittle-1 (BR-400), and a high quality protein maize (QPM) based on a modified opaque-2 allele (CMS-456). These progenies were subjected to gel electrophoresis and quantitative lysine and tryptophan analysis. Protein patterns of zeins were utilized with success as auxiliary tools for the identification of the sweet corn progenies with high content of lysine and tryptophan associated with a vitreous-yellow kernel characteristic. Relations between electrophoretic protein patterns of zeins and the content of lysine and tryptophan present in the endosperm protein were discussed.