Sugar profiles of seedlings of Zea mays and several weedy panicoid grasses

Abstract

Sugar profiles were obtained for root, shoot and endosperm tissues from four-day-old seedlings of Zea mays, Setaria faberii, Panicum miliaceum and Sorghum bicolor, and pronounced differences were observed. Sugars in S. faberii roots were especially low compared to Z. mays, with no detectable glucose or fructose (< 0.01 %) and only ∼ 0.03 % sucrose in the former species compared to ∼ 1 % fructose, 9–16 % glucose and 3–4 % sucrose in the latter. Panicum miliaceum roots contained < 0.1 % sucrose and glucose, and the shoots contained - 1/10 as much glucose as Z. mays.