A genomic region harboring the allele from the Peruvian cultivar JC072A confers purple cob on Japanese flint corn ( L.).

Purple corn is a maize variety ( L.) with high anthocyanin content. When purple corn is used as forage, its anthocyanins may mitigate oxidative stresses causing lower milk production in dairy cows. In this study, we analyzed quantitative trait loci (QTLs) for anthocyanin pigmentation of maize organs in an F population derived from a cross between the Peruvian cultivar 'JC072A' (purple) and the inbred line 'Ki68' (yellowish) belonged to Japanese flint. We detected 17 significant QTLs on chromosomes 1-3, 6, and 10. Because the cob accounts for most of the fresh weight of the plant ear, we focused on a significant QTL for purple cob on chromosome 6. This QTL also conferred pigmentation of anther, spikelet, leaf sheath, culm, and bract leaf, and was confirmed by using two F populations. The gene () is the most likely candidate gene in this QTL region because the amino acid sequence encoded by is similar to that of an Andean allele, , which is responsible for anthocyanin production. The markers designed for the alleles will be useful for the breeding of F lines with anthocyanin pigmentation in cobs.