Biochemical composition of maize (Zea mays L.) pollen : I. Effects of the endosperm mutants, waxy (wx), shrunken (sh 2) and sugary (su 1) on the amino acid content and fatty acid distribution.

Proline was the most abundant amino acid with a mean value of 186.28 μ moles/mg dry pollen. The other amino acids tested were below 33 μ moles/mg dry pollen. The mutant wx significantly increased aspartic acid, valine, histidine and an unknown but significantly decreased α aminobutyric acid. The mutant sh 2 significantly increased glutamic acid, proline, lysine, histidine and an unknown but significantly decreased aspartic acid and α aminobutyric acid. The effect of su 1 was altered by the genetic background involved. In one genetic background, su 1 did not significantly increase any amino acid but significantly decreased alanine and α aminobutyric acid. However, in a distinctly different background, su 1 significantly increased α aminobutyric acid but significantly decreased aspartic acid and glutamic acid. Apparently the genetic background is capable of producing major shifts in the amino acid pattern in addition to the action of these mutants.The fatty acids, palmitic and linolenic were the most common with percentages of 54.1 and 34.4 respectively. The mutants tested did not affect the fatty acid distribution.