Effect of Multiple Aleurone Layers on the Protein and Amino Acid Content of Maize Endosperm1

The data from four F2 progenies from a cross of a normal endosperm, multiple aleurone maize (Zea mays L.) line with an o2/o2 single aleurone line were heterogeneous but do not disprove the hypothesis that the multiple aleurone phenotype is conditioned by a single dominant factor. This factor segregated independently of opaque‐2. In non‐opaque seeds, the effect of multiple aleurone layers on protein content of the endosperm or content of any amino acid was negligible. In o2/o2/o2 endosperms, the presence of multiple aleurone layers as compared to single aleurone layers increased slightly the content of all the amino acids that are increased in o2/o2/o2 endosperms as compared with O2/—/— endosperms. Most of the amino acids that were lower in o2/o2/o2 endosperms relative to O2/—/— endosperms were decreased further by the presence of multiple aleurone layers. We conclude that the multiple aleurone layer factor should be useful in breeding programs designed to utilize the opaque‐2 mutant.