Development of High-Amylose Inbred Lines from Three Native American Corn Populations

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Nyambura Nedegwa and Patience Rhodes.
Dr. Mark Campbell, Faculty Mentor.

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High-amylose starches have a number of applications such as in the manufacturing of adhesives, biodegradable plastics, gum candies and nuetraceuticals. For the past six years Truman’s corn breeding program has focused on developing high-amylose inbred lines through the use of the endosperm mutation amylose-extender (ae) and various exotic corn populations. Several experimental lines in the F2 generation believed to have high starch amylose (>70%), according to preliminary data, were used in this study. The lines were derived from one Central American population originating from Guatemala and two southwestern populations from the Chociti Pueblo and Zea Pueblo tribes. These materials were advanced to the F5 generation in the summer of 2002 and possessed an inbreeding coefficient (F) of 7/8. Materials were analyzed from this study using a modified iodine-binding method and confirmed that starch amylose levels are at or above 70%.