Cereal Chem 48:663 - 668.  |  VIEW ARTICLE
Effect of Planting Date and Southern Corn Leaf Blight on the Fatty Acid Composition of Corn Oil.

M. D. Jellum. Copyright 1971 by the American Association of Cereal Chemists, Inc. 

Eight commercial corn (Zea mays L.) hybrids were planted on each of three different dates in 1969 and 1970. Southern corn leaf blight caused by Helminthosporium maydis did not occur in 1969, but a severe disease epidemic occurred in 1970 and greatly reduced yields of susceptible hybrids in the second and third planting dates. Fatty acid composition of oil was determined for each hybrid from each planting date and year. Hybrids were significantly different for all fatty acids in both years. Planting dates had a small influence on only palmitic and stearic acids in 1969, but all fatty acids (except linolenic) were significantly different among planting dates in 1970. One hybrid resistant to infection by leaf blight and one hybrid with intermediate resistance showed identical trends in oil composition among planting dates, as did hybrids susceptible to leaf blight. Therefore, it was concluded that southern corn leaf blight did not influence oil composition. A relationship between temperature (during the period of rapid change in oil content and oil composition) and fatty acid composition of oil could not be established under the field conditions of this study.