Electrophoretic Analysis of Alpha-Amylase Enzyme and Identification of Reciprocal Effect of Parental Lines of Corn Hybrid Seeds.

Evaluation of enzyme patterns in seeds allows the identification of the beginning of deterioration and its consequences, consisting of an excellent indicator of the physiological potential decrease. Alpha-amylase is an important enzyme in the starch hydrolysis, accounting for 90% of amylolytic activity in maize seeds. Lots with increased expression of this enzyme can provide carbohydrates to the embryo more easily, resulting in higher germination and vigor. Thus, this research aimed to verify the applicability of electrophoretic analysis of alpha-amylase enzyme in identifying reciprocal effect of parental lines of hybrid seed corn. Twelve corn hybrid seeds (HS 13, HS 14, HS 15 HS 23, HS 24, HS 25, HS 31, HS 41, HS 51, HS 32, HS 42, HS 52) were evaluated after nine months of storage by germination, vigor (first count of germination, cold test, accelerated aging and electrical conductivity) and seedling emergence in the field tests and by an automated computer imaging system. The electrophoretic pattern of alpha-amylase enzyme was determined using seeds endosperm after three days of germination. Regarding to seeds germination and vigor, lots that had in their crosses lineage L1 as the female parent (HS 13, HS 14 and HS 15) had low physiological potential evidenced by the first count of germination, accelerated aging and electrical conductivity tests. These results indicate the existence of reciprocal effect between parental lines in the crosses using lineage L1. Lower expression of alpha-amylase enzyme was observed in lots that had the L1 lineage as female parent in their crosses, and higher expression in lots of the reciprocal crosses, corroborating the results obtained by germination and vigor tests. Therefore, alpha-amylase enzymatic analysis may be considered an important tool in identifying the reciprocal effect of parental lines in corn hybrid seeds.