Effects of Water Stress on the Nutritional Changes in Maize (Zea mays) Grains

摘要

This experiment examined nutritional changes in maize (Zea mays ) grains at three soil moisture levels of well-watered (WW), moderately stressed (MS) and severely stressed (SS). Most of nutritional qualities of maize grains such as N content, total soluble sugar (TSS), reducing sugar (RS) and Zn, Ca, Cu, Mg, and Mn elements contents were positively affected by soil drought stress. SS treatment increased significantly N content, TSS, RS and Zn, Ca, Cu, Mg, and Mn elements contents in maize grains by 8. 6% , 99. 3% , 300. 0% , 27. 8% , 24.0%, 15.3%, 9.8% and 7.9%, respectively, when compared to WW. However, some of nutritional qualities in maize grains were adversely affected at elevated drought stress. Significant decreases in starch, P and K contents in maize grains and 100 - kernels weight were about 33. 3 % , 14.6%, 18.6% and 32.3%, respectively, at SS treatment as compared with the levels of WW. By contrast, crude fat content had a different pattern in response to soil drought stress as compared to most of nutritional qualities in maize grains. An increase in crude fat content was about 9.2% at MS but a decrease in crude fat content was about 11. 3% at SS when compared to WW.