Supplementary material for the article: Mesarović, J.; Trifković, J.; Tosti, T.; Fotirić Akšić, M.; Milatović, D.; Ličina, V.; Milojković-Opsenica, D. Relationship between Ripening Time and Sugar Content of Apricot (Prunus Armeniaca L.) Kernels. Acta Physiologiae Plantarum 2018, 40 (8). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11738-018-2731-7

Supplementary material for: [https://doi.org/10.1007/s11738-018-2731-7]Related to published version: [http://cherry.chem.bg.ac.rs/handle/123456789/2193

Pigmented maize - a potential source of β-carotene and α-tocopherol

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. Keywords: biofortification, inbred line, maize, micronutrient, population

Maize seedling performance as a potential index for drought tolerance

Twenty-six maize landraces were tested in order to evaluate maize seedling performance as an index for drought tolerance in adult plants. Samples were subjected to polyethylene glycol-induced osmotic stress at the early seedling stage. Grain yield was obtained in field experiments under well-watered (OC) and a combination of drought and high plant density (HD) conditions. Osmotic stress caused a reduction in seedling growth (length, fresh and dry weight), and increase in the shoot and in particular the root proline contents in the majority of landraces, and variations in root peroxidase (POD) activity. Genotypes displaying more pronounced root growth reduction and higher proline contents exhibited decreased POD activity under osmotic stress. Direct positive correlations between the proline content and growth inhibition, and between the proline and soluble protein content were established. Correlations between the changes in POD activity and growth parameters were significant and positive, and significant but negative with the changes in the proline content. In the field, water stress led to a reduction in grain yield in all of the tested landraces. Correlations between grain yield from both experimental sets (OC and HD) and osmotic-induced changes in seedling root growth were negative, which was opposite to the highly significant and positive correlations between the changes in the seedling root proline content and yield. Also, genotypes with the highest seedling root proline content increase under osmotic stress, exhibited the highest stress tolerance index (STI) based on grain yield achieved under both field conditions. Our results indicate that lower changes in POD activity and especially an increased proline content after exposure to osmotic stress during the early seedling stage could be considered as useful indices to facilitate selection efficiency for drought tolerance in adult plants

Antioxidant status of the different sweet maize hybrids under herbicide and foliar fertilizer application

The chemical method of weed control is an indispensable step in cropping practices of sweet maize Application of the herbicides can induce the abiotic stress which affects the non-enzymatic antioxidants in the crops, especially on the sensitive one, like sweet maize is. Antioxidant profile, through the measurement of the soluble phenolic, carotenoids, phytic acid and glutathione concentration, in the grain of the three sweet maize hybrids after application of herbicides, foliar fertilizer, as well as their combinations, in field experiment, conducted over a two-year period, was determined. The content of tested antioxidant parameters was dependent on hybrids, growing season, as well as of the applied treatment. Sulfonylurea herbicides significantly increased the antioxidant status of sweet maize fresh grain, compared to the herbicide from triketone group, without affecting the fresh grain yield. Combination of herbicide plus foliar fertilizer expressed a various impact on antioxidant profile of the maize grain. Furthermore, significant correlations (positive and negative) between fresh grain yield and analyzed antioxidants in grain of three sweet maize hybrids were noticed

Herbicides impact on content of phenolic compounds in sweet maize

Worldwide consumption of sweet maize, in the past ten years, is significantly increased. Such data indicate that phytochemicals content requires a higher attention in addition to yield. Popularizations of phenolic compounds become worldwide trend due to their benefits to human health. The usage of herbicides is widely present for weed control in sweet maize growing practices. In this study the influence of two herbicides, on the content of ferulic and cinnamic acid as well as on the total phenolic compounds (TPC) in three sweet maize hybrids during two vegetation seasons was evaluated. Meteorological conditions in 2016 were favorable for maize growing, opposite to 2017 which was a drier year. The variability of examined phytochemicals after applied herbicides was genotype-dependent and also influenced by growing seasons. Interestingly, for hybrids ZP355su and ZP553su, a higher content of ferulic acid was found in treatment with nicosulfuron in comparison to mesotrione. The same trend was noticed for cinnamic acid content in all tested hybrids. Opposite trend was achieved for ferulic acid content and TPC in ZP515su. Content of ferulic and cinnamic acid negatively correlated with the maize yield, opposite to TPC, for hybrid ZP355su. Positive correlation of TPC and cinnamic acid to maize yield was found in hybrid ZP515su emphasizing it as promising hybrid among all tested hybrids. Although relatively small number of hybrids was examined, the obtained data revealed a new potential of herbicide, i.e. the enrichment of health promoting compounds in sweet maize grain

Determination of free phenolic acids from leaves within different colored maize

Along with other plant parts, maize leaves are widely used for making fermented food for cattle, known as silage. Since there have only been a few reports on studies concerning the extraction and determination of phenolic acids from maize leaves, the main goal of this investigation was to evaluate the content of free phenolic acids in the leaves of fifteen different maize inbred lines. Reverse-phase, high performance liquid chromatography (RP-HPLC), with a photodiode array detector (DAD), was performed. Under the optimized chromatographic conditions, referring to short time of sample preparation, small quantities of solvent and direct injection of the extract into HPLC, phenolic acids (i.e., gallic, protocatechuic, caffeic, p-coumaric and ferulic acid) were successfully separated in less than 25 min, indicating that the method could be applied for routine analysis. The efficiency and validation of the method was evaluated by measuring the rate parameters: linearity, limit of detection and quantification, accuracy and precision. The obtained results showed that the most abundant free phenolic acid was p-coumaric acid (23.57 mu g g(-1) dry weight), followed by ferulic and caffeic acids (21.27 and 20.78 mu g g(-1) dry weight, respectively). Principal Component Analysis (PCA) revealed the existence of a link

Supplementary data for the article: Mesarović, J.; Srdić, J.; Mladenović-Drinić, S.; Dragičević, V.; Simić, M.; Brankov, M.; Milojković-Opsenica, D. Evaluation of the Nutritional Profile of Sweet Maize after Herbicide and Foliar Fertilizer Application. J. Cereal Sci. 2019, 87, 132–137. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jcs.2019.03.017

Supplementary material for: [https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jcs.2019.03.017]Related to published version: [http://cherry.chem.bg.ac.rs/handle/123456789/2870]Related to accepted version: [http://cherry.chem.bg.ac.rs/handle/123456789/2978

Supplementary material for the article: Mesarović, J.; Trifković, J.; Tosti, T.; Fotirić Akšić, M.; Milatović, D.; Ličina, V.; Milojković-Opsenica, D. Relationship between Ripening Time and Sugar Content of Apricot (Prunus Armeniaca L.) Kernels. Acta Physiologiae Plantarum 2018, 40 (8). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11738-018-2731-7

Supplementary material for: [https://doi.org/10.1007/s11738-018-2731-7]Related to published version: [http://cherry.chem.bg.ac.rs/handle/123456789/2193

Alterations in growth of maize seedlings influenced by mixed tetraoxanes

Application of natural or synthetic substances could increases maize vigor, particularly of seeds with poor viability. The aim of this experiment was to examine the influence of five mixed tetraoxanes (T1–T5) on germination and early growth (seven day old seedlings) of maize inbred line, from the lot with high germination ability (>90%-G1) and low germination ability (<50%-G2). After soaking in tetraoxanes solution (10-6 and 10-9 M) for 24h, at room temperature, the seeds were germinated under controlled laboratory conditions on filter paper (BP, 20⇔30°C, ISTA Rules). Results show diverse effects of applied treatments. The significant increase in germination of 21.3% (10-9 M) for G2, as well as in seedlings roots and shoot fresh biomass for both lots, were observed in T1 treatment. The highest increase of seedlings root and shoot dry matter (8.79% and 8.08% for G1, as well as 9.52% and 8.99% for G2, respectively) was obtained by T4 treatment. For G1, increased seedlings root to shoot ratio for fresh matter, was achieved with T4 (10-9 M), while for G2, T3 brought the highest values of the ratio for both fresh and dry matter. For G1, increased seedlings root to shot ratio for dry matter was achieved under T4 (10-9 M). All applied treatments increased hydrolysis and biosynthesis. The highest hydrolysis values for G1was achieved by T2 (0.1640 g) and for G2 by T1 treatment (0.1187 g). The highest values of biosynthesis were achieved under T4 for both G1 and G2 (0.0723 and 0.0426 g, respectively). For G2, interdependence between germination and seedlings root and shoot fresh matter, and between hydrolysis and biosynthesis, implied a significant and negative correlation between germination rate and root fresh matter. Moreover, significant increase in germination rate for G2 was followed by increase in seedlings root and shoot fresh matter, hydrolysis and biosynthesis

Variability of maize lines in ability to use nitrogen

Nitrogen is important macro-nutrient that influences various physiological processes in plants. Nevertheless, nitrogen could be loosed from the soil by leaching and evaporation. Thus, low nitrogen inputs are required together with strategy to improve its utilization by crops. Maize genotypes exhibit various susceptibility to low soil nitrogen. From that reason, variability in reaction of 32 maize lines to growing in conditions with optimal (fertilization with urea), and with low nitrogen (without fertilization) was examined during 2017 and 2018. All other growing measures and fertilization with other elements was applied at the same manner on whole experimental plot. 2017 was drier season, with higher average temperatures, particularly during anthesis and grain filling period. High variability among genotypes and seasons was present. The values of maize grain yield and 1000 grain weight were slightly lower in the field without nitrogen fertilization. Some lines under the low nitrogen conditions reached even higher grain yields (efficacy of yielding was 139.7% and 156.7% respectively, for 2017 and 2018), than in conditions with optimal nitrogen in soil, declaring them as genotypes with high nitrogen using efficiency. However, these lines achieved moderate yields (in both fields and years) in regard to other lines. Among tested lines, two had relatively higher grain yields indicating them as prominent for further research, i.e. breeding of maize hybrids with better nitrogen usage from soil, even in the conditions with low nitrogen