Maize Research Institute Zemun Polje, Belgrade, Serbia
Maize Research Institute Zemun Polje, Belgrade, Serbia
Maize Research Institute Zemun Polje, Belgrade, Serbia
Maize Research Institute Zemun Polje, Belgrade, Serbia
Among cereals, maize has the highest content of bioavailable micronutrients in grain, particularly β-carotene and α-tocopherol, which makes this crop the most appropriate for biofortification. Great genetic variability is a valuable source of micronutrients, and genotypes with enhanced grain content could be used for improvement of commercial hybrids or synthetic populations creation. Three populations with dark orange, dark red and red grain, five elite lines, and their crosses were evaluated for β-carotene and α-tocopherol content. Based on obtained results, line (L5) could be further used in breeding for increased β-carotene content, and population with dark orange grain (P1) is recommended as a good source for multi-nutrient biofortification for both β-carotene and α-tocopherol. Three lines (L1, L2 and L5) had significantly higher value of α-tocopherol in crosses with dark red population (P2), compared to lines per se, and require several cycles of back-crossing for increase nutrient content.
Authors retain copyright. This work is made freely available online under an open-access model under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License (CC-http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/BY-NC-ND 4.0).
The statements, opinions and data contained in the journal are solely those of the individual authors and contributors and not of the publisher and the editor(s). We stay neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.