Vol.7 : Number 11
Rapid improvement of quality protein in maize

Author(s): Rajesh Singh, Rima Kumari, Dan Singh Jakhar, Pankaj Kumar, Prakash Kumar Jha


Maize (Zea mays L.) plays a very important role in human and animal nutrition in a number of developed and developing countries, worldwide.  The quality protein maize (QPM) has about twice the levels of lysine and tryptophan as compared to normal maize. The improved quality of the protein in QPM is due to enhancement in lysine and tryptophan. These two limiting amino acids are regulated by opaque2 gene and associated modifiers. QPM has widely been adopted for cultivation in the developing world to fight protein malnutrition. However, use of opaque-2 gene specific markers provided excellent opportunities for conversion of elite normal inbreds to homozygous o2/o2 forms through marker assisted selection (MAS). In India, Vivek QPM-9: a hybrid of two QPM introgression lines is being widely used for commercial cultivation. Further, genetic engineering studies increase Lys, Trp, Cys and Met-content in plant proteins by manipulating lysine, tryptophan, cysteine and methionine synthesis respectively. 


Key Words: Genetic engineering, Maize, MAS, Opaque-2, QPM   


Country: India