Peer review

High-amylose starch has a promising potential use for various industrial processes. The amylose extender gene "ae" (3) when combined with modifier genes (1, 4) has permitted the development of hybrids with endosperm starch composed of more than 70% amylase, without a substantial reduction in total starch synthesis. Variations in amylose content within high-amylase breeding stocks have been observed among locations and growing seasons. If these variations are, primarily, environmentally induced, then care should be taken with subsequent genetic studies and breeding programs concerned with high-amylose maize. The influence of environment on amylase content of maize endosperm was first reported by Fergason and Zuber (2), They investigated the effects of locations and years on 6 inbred lines ranging in amylose content from 26 to approximately 70%. Their results for 8 locations and 3 years indicated that locational and seasonal environments did influence amylose synthesis within relatively homozygous high-amylose inbred lines. Additional interest was expressed concerning the comparative influence of different environments on high-amylose hybrids. Subsequently, the present study was initiated to determine the influence of locations and years on amylose synthesis within high-amylose hybrids grown in 12 different states.

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