Analysis of Endosperm Sugars in a Sweet Corn Inbred (Illinois 677a) Which Contains the Sugary Enhancer (se) Gene and Comparison of se with Other Corn Genotypes.

The endosperm sugars of a new corn (Zea mays L.) mutant, sugary enhancer (se), were analyzed by gas-liquid chromatography and were compared with sugars of other genotypes. Illinois 677a, a sugary (su) inbred containing the se gene, was high in sucrose and was distinguished from all of the other genotypes by its high maltose content. During kernel development, the maltose content of IL677a increased to 3.28% dry weight at 40 days postpollination and remained high at the dry mature stage, whereas ;Silver Queen,' a high quality sugary (su) hybrid not possessing the se gene, showed no such trend in maltose accumulation. Sucrose, fructose, and glucose decreased during kernel development in ;Silver Queen' and IL677a from 19 days postpollination until the dry mature stage. The slow drying characteristic and the reduced starch content previously reported for maturing seeds of IL677a may be related to the maltose accumulation reported here.