DMR QPM 102 (IC0594369; INGR13074), a Maize (Zea mays) Germplasm with Medium Maturity, Low ASI, High Tryptophan, High Protein

摘要

Maize is a major cereal crop for both livestock feed and human nutrition, worldwide. With its high content of carbohydrates, fats, proteins, some of the important vitamins and minerals, it has acquired a well-deserved reputation as a 'poor man's nutricerea'. However, conventional maize is a poor quality food as it lacks the full range of amino acids especially lysine and tryptophan. With the discovery of opaque-2 (o-2) gene and its modifiers, and elucidation of role of hard endosperm (He) gene, it became possible to modify the contents and profile of amino acids of proteins in maize. As a consequence, Quality Protein Maize (QPM) germplasm was developed and released in different parts of the world including India. Directorate of Maize Research (DMR)is actively involved in QPM research. It has developed QPM inbred lines with high tryptophan (>=0.6%) and lysine (>2.4%) in protein. In this communication, information on unique traits in respect of DMR QPM 102 (IC 0594369 and INGR 13074) is reported. This inbred line has been derived from exotic germplasm CLQ-RCYQ 30 after evaluating, selecting and selling for 5-7 generations. Each time the kernels were assayed biochemically for tryptophan content and screened on white board for opaqueness. The semi-opaque/semi normal kernels with tryptophan >0.6% were retained and line developed thereof. The proposed line is a medium maturing QPM line with low anthesis silking interval (ASI) of one day, high tryptophan (0.65%) and high protein content (13.02%). It also exhibited moderate resistance against Maydis Leaf Blight (MLB).