Potential involvement of seed storage proteins in susceptibility to aflatoxin contamination was assessed with in vitro tests. Initially, two oilseed storage proteins [cottonseed storage protein (CSP) and zein] were compared with bovine serum albumin (BSA) and collagen. Supplementation of a complete defined medium with either oilseed storage protein resulted in significantly more aflatoxin produ...

There is no biochemical explanation for the inhibition of germination and seedling growth after X irradiation of seeds (1). Although some enzyme activities are altered (9, 10, 13) by X irradiation, enzyme inactivation does not seem to be the primary biochemical mechanism of radiation injury (20). Little attention has been given to physiological and biochemical aspects of growth of seedlings fro...

L HE only genetic difference between the composition of a sweet corn kernel and that of field corn is due to a single recessive gene out of the hundreds or thousands of genes in corn. This gene makes the sugary condition of the kernel persist in sweet corn; or, in other words, prevents the conversion of some of the sugar into starch. The first recorded observation of sweet corn by w^hite men ap...

Three experiments were conducted to evaluate the impact of the Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt)-11 transformation event in two parental corn hybrids differing in date of maturity on beef and dairy cattle performance. Sixteen lactating Holstein dairy cows in replicated 4 x 4 Latin squares were assigned to four diets in a 2 x 2 factorial arrangement: Bt vs non-Bt trait and early- vs late-maturing corn...

Maize, Zea mays L., is an economically important crop grown throughout the world. Corn rootworm, Diabrotica spp. (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae), larvae constitute a significant economic threat to maize production in the United States, where yield losses and management costs associated with corn rootworm species exceed $1 billion annually. Furthermore, the introduction of the western corn rootworm,...

Growing interest in corn (Zea mays L.) silage utilization on Wisconsin dairy farms may have implications for nutrient losses from agricultural lands. Increasing the silage cutting height will increase residue cover and could reduce off-site migration of sediments and associated constituents compared with conventional silage harvesting. We examined the effects of residue level and manure applica...

In this study, dynamic quantitative trait loci (QTL) were mapped in a recombinant inbred line (F2:4) population derived from a BF3109 x Q267 cross. This was done during the unconditional (4, 7, and 10 days) and conditional (0 to 4, 4 to 7, and 7 to 10 days) germination stages in sh2 sweet corn. The values of seedling dry weight, weight of mobilized seed reserve (WMSR), seed reserve depletion pe...