Differential effects of daytime and nighttime high temperatures at the grain formation stage on starch structure and properties in waxy maize

doi:10.1016/j.jia.2025.03.008

Journal of Integrative Agriculture

2026, Vol. 25

Issue (8): 3218-3227 DOI: 10.1016/j.jia.2025.03.008

Crop Science

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Differential effects of daytime and nighttime high temperatures at the grain formation stage on starch structure and properties in waxy maize

Jing Li^1*, Xiaotian Gu^2*, Lingling Qu¹, Guanghao Li¹, Jian Guo¹, Dalei Lu^{1, 3#}

¹Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Crop Genetics and Physiology/Jiangsu Co-Innovation Center for Modern Production Technology of Grain Crops/Agricultural College, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou 225009, China

²Yancheng Institute of Technology, Yancheng 224000, China

³Joint International Research Laboratory of Agriculture and Agri-Product Safety, Ministry of Education, Yangzhou 225009, China

Highlights
● Day and night high temperature (DH and NH) stresses severely damage starch structure and quality, with DH having a greater impact.
● DH primarily affects starch granule size, relative crystallinity, and starch branching degree; NH primarily shortens amylopectin chains and retains more branching.
● Whole-day high temperature exerts a cumulative effect, causing more severe damage to starch than DH or NH.

Abstract
References

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摘要

高温是影响全球玉米产量和品质的关键环境因子。尽管已有较多研究关注玉米关键生长阶段的高温胁迫效应，但昼夜不同高温胁迫类型对糯玉米淀粉理化特性的影响差异仍未可知。研究以两个糯玉米品种为材料，以常温（NN）为对照，在籽粒建成期（授粉后1-15天）设置了昼高温（DH）、夜高温（NH）和昼夜高温（DNH）处理，系统分析了昼夜高温胁迫类型对糯玉米淀粉理化性质的影响。结果表明，三种高温胁迫类型均显著抑制了淀粉的合成与积累，导致淀粉颗粒表面孔隙数量增多、粒径增大、相对结晶度升高以及支链淀粉链长和分支度缩短，其中以DNH的影响最为显著，其次为DH。DNH和DH下较大的淀粉粒径、较高的相对结晶度和较低的支链淀粉链长共同导致淀粉糊化黏度和热焓值降低，回生值增加；而NH则主要通过缩短支链淀粉链长，提高了淀粉热焓值和回生值，并降低了淀粉糊化黏度。本研究明确了昼、夜高温对糯玉米淀粉理化性质的不同影响，为应对气候变化挑战下的糯玉米生产提供了新的科学依据。

Abstract

High temperature (HT) is a critical abiotic stress factor that negatively impacts yield and quality of maize worldwide. Although the effects of HT during key growth stages are extensively documented, the distinct influences of daytime versus nighttime HT on the physicochemical properties of waxy maize starch remain largely unexplored. This study investigated the effects of daytime and nighttime HT on the on the starch physicochemical properties in two waxy maize hybirds. Temperature treatments included ambient temperature (NN), daytime HT (DH), nighttime HT (NH), and whole-day HT (DNH), which were applied from 1 to 15 days after pollination. The three HT stresses significantly inhibited starch synthesis and accumulation, increased the number of pores on the starch granule surface, enlarged starch granule size, enhanced relative crystallinity, and shortened the chain length and reduced the branching degree of amylopectin. The most severe effects were observed under DNH, followed by DH. DH and DNH reduced starch pasting viscosity and gelatinization enthalpy while increasing starch retrogradation through mechanisms involving enlargement of granule size, increased relative crystallinity, and reduced branching and chain length of amylopectin. NH increased gelatinization enthalpy and retrogradation and decreased starch pasting viscosity primarily by shortening the chain length of amylopectin. By elucidating the mechanisms through which daytime and nighttime HT affect starch physicochemical properties, this study provides valuable insights into optimizing waxy maize production in response to climate change challenges.

Keywords: waxy maize high temperature starch granule size amylopectin chain length pasting property gelatinization property

Received: 10 October 2024 Accepted: 13 February 2025 Online: 20 March 2025

Fund:

This study was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (32071958, 31771709, and 32372222), the Priority Academic Program Development of Jiangsu Higher Education Institutions, China.

About author: #Correspondence Dalei Lu, E-mail: dllu@yzu.edu.cn * These authors contributed equally to this study.

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