Genetic analysis of oleic acid content in the oils of maize mutants amylose extender

Aim. Genetic analysis of oleate content in the carriers of maize mutation ae. Methods. In two-year experiments 10 unrelared on origin inbreds – carriers of ae mutation and a series of hybrids from their diallel and top-cross crossings were analysed. The analysis of the fatty acid composition of oil was carried out using a modified gas-chromatographic Peysker method. Results. It was found that the carriers of maize ae mutation are characterized by a higher oleate content compared to the maize of common type, however the oleate content in the oils of  ae mutants was lower than that of the mutants su1 and su2. The different inbreds – carriers of the ae mutation differed among themselves by the the effects of the combining abilities for the oleate content in oil. The inheritance of oleate content by hybrids based on the ae mutation was similar to the type of incomplete dominance with a significant contribution of additive effects to the variance. Conclusions. In the carriers of ae maize mutation, the spatial linkage in the fifth chromosome of ae mutant gene with the oleate – encoding locus, the effect of which is modified by the polygenic complex, is likely. Keywords: Zea mays L., mutation ae, oleic acid, genetic analysis.