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Gelatinization and Retrogradation Traits of Starches from Argentinian Maize Inbred Lines: Patterns of Correlation Among Traits

Efforts are being made to identify sources of starches with unique end-use properties, such as thermal properties, within a wide array of maize germplasm. Because redundancy may exist when evaluating these traits, it would be useful to know the pattern of correlation among traits involved to focus the expensive stage of evaluation of germplasm on traits that do not provide redundant information. The objectives of this study were to analyze the pattern of correlations between starch gelatinization and retrogradation-associated traits in a group of 12 Argentine maize inbred lines and to develop predictive models among traits when possible. Traits measured by differential scanning calorimetry included gelatinization and retrogradation properties. Pearson correlation coefficients among starch thermal properties were determined from univariate analyses, and canonical correlations were determined from multivariate analyses. Canonical correlation analyses were more sensitive in detecting associations between starch gelatinization and retrogradation parameters than univariate analyses. Multiple regression equations to estimate the change in enthalpy of starch gelatinization and retrogradation traits, especially for change in enthalpy and percentage of retrogradation, were obtained and validated with an independent data set.