Nitrogen Storage in Crops: Case Study of Zeins in Maize

Abstract

Crop grains accumulate significant amounts of nitrogen in the form of storage proteins. Grain storage proteins are not only important in the aspects of germination but also, storage proteins are a valuable food source in human and animal nutrition. This chapter will give insight into genotype and growing conditions influencing the quantity and quality of storage proteins, primarily maize storage proteins the leading cereal by world production. Main storage proteins in cereals are prolamins, and in maize prolamins are called zeins located within the endosperm in protein agglomerations called protein bodies. Four main classes of zein proteins are: alpha, beta, gamma and delta zein. Each of four zein classes has a distinctive position and role within protein bodies. Prolamin proteins define nutritional value of maize grain not only via amino acid quality but also via starch availability. Starch, the most important energy component of maize grain, is located within starch-protein matrix. Within this matrix, starch granules are surrounded by protein bodies that limit starch availability. In this chapter, we will describe how zein proteins influence characteristics of maize grain and nutritional value of maize.

Effects of soil nutrient amendments on growth and grain yield performances of quality protein maize grown under water deficit stress in Ibadan, Nigeria

“…Application of nitrogen fertilizer have been shown to increased the uptake of other nutrients, this is because nitrogen enhances growth and development of small roots and root hairs which in turn facilitate the absorbing ability per unit of dry weight (Gheysari et al, 2009;Hammad et al, 2011). Nitrogen is also needed to establish and maintain the enzymatic processes essential for carbon utilization and growth, and is also a major constituent of endosperm storage protein (Cazetta et al, 1999;Duvnjak et al, 2021). The use of 10 t ha -1 of Tithonia poultry compost in combination to each of 100 kg N ha -1 and 50 kg N ha -1 of nitrogen fertilizer significantly enhanced grain yield than sole applications of each of inorganic fertilizer rate in this study.…”