ADVANCES IN TRANSGENIC MAIZE FOR QUALITY IMPROVEMENT M.Rajendar

Maize (Zea mays) is a major food and animal feed worldwide and occupies a relevant place in the world economy and trade as an industrial grain crop. Currently more than 70% of maize production is used for food and feed; therefore, knowledge of genes involved in grain structure and chemical is important for improving the nutritional and food-making properties of maize. It is a good source of carbohydrates, fats, proteins, vitamins and minerals but deficient in two essential amino acids, Viz., lysine and tryptophan. To overcome this problem and to improve the above quality characters the maize breeders have followed different strategies like opaque 2, QPM and development of transgenic maize with improved quality characters. Finally we can conclude that the conventional breeding techniques and now plant biotechnology are helping meet the growing demand for food production, nutrition security while preserving our environment for future generations.