ABSTRACT
A field experiment was conducted in 1981 with two varieties of maize (Zea mays L.), H-139 and a local variety of San Antonio Tlacamilco, Pue. The objective was to study the changes in carbohydrates during several stages of corn seed development and also in early sprouting. In order to make comparisons, the carbohydrate content in gemination of mature quiescent seeds was also determined. The presence of germination inhibitors in mature and immature seeds was observed. It was found that sucrose was the major soluble sugar in the endosperm and embryo of both varieties, but its content was reduced at 55 days after female flowering in the sprouted H-139 grain. At this stage the inhibitors of germination and seedling growth were reduced also. The inhibitory effects are similar to those observed by coumarin and abscisic acid. Maltose, as an indication of amylase activity, was found only in endosperm of germinated mature seeds.
