Open Access

ARTICLE

Embryo and Endosperm Phytochemicals from Polyembryonic Maize Kernels and Their Relationship with Seed Germination

by J. David García-Ortíz¹, Rebeca González-Centeno¹, María Alejandra Torres-Tapia², J. A. Ascacio-Valdés¹, José Espinoza-Velázquez², Raúl Rodríguez-Herrera^1,*

1 Food Research Department, School of Chemistry, Autonomous University of Coahuila, Saltillo, 25280, México
2 Plant Breeding Department, Universidad Autonoma Agraria Antonio Narro (UAAAN), Saltillo, 25315, México

* Corresponding Author: Raúl Rodríguez-Herrera. Email:

Phyton-International Journal of Experimental Botany 2022, 91(5), 929-941. https://doi.org/10.32604/phyton.2022.018368

Received 20 July 2021; Accepted 17 November 2021; Issue published 24 January 2022

Abstract

Because of the growing worldwide demand for maize grain, new alternatives have been sought for breeding of this cereal, e.g., development of polyembryonic varieties, which agronomic performance could positively impact the grain yield per unit area, and nutritional quality. The objectives of this study were to (1) determine the phytochemicals present in the embryo and endosperm of grain from maize families with high, low, and null polyembryony frequency, which were planted at different locations, and (2) state the relationship between these compounds and seed germination. The extracted phytochemicals from corn were identified by HPLC-MS. The results showed that the genotype with the highest presence of phytochemicals was the brachytic population with high polyembryony called “BAP”, which also required less water during the germination process. The number of phytochemicals in both embryo and endosperm tissues was not related to the sowing location where they came from or the type of polyembryony. The number of different phytochemicals depended on the grain tissue from where they were extracted. The chemical compounds found in the different maize tissues were related to the development of the plant, either in roots or nibs because these are mainly associated with the lignin synthesis.

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Keywords

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