Sweet Corn Seeds Research Articles

Sweet corn (Zea mays L.) seed performance enhanced under drought stress by chitosan and minerals coating.

Sweet corn (Zea mays L.) var. Saccharata is a tropical and semitropical annual cereal with low germination, poor vigor, and weak seedling establishment in the soil. In order to enhance the physical properties of sweet corn and examine the effects of seed coating on the morphological, biochemical, and physiological characteristics of sweet corn seedlings under drought stress conditions, we conducted a factorial experiment in greenhouse conditions. Seed coating was carried out using a mixture of vermiculite (V), kaolin (K), and perlite (P) in a ratio of 3:1.5:2. The main factors of the greenhouse experiment comprised three levels of coating treatment (chitosan 0.5% + V10K2.5P5 (gr), NaAlg 1% + V10K2.5P5 (gr), and non-coated seeds as a control) along with drought stress at four levels (0, -0.3, -0.6, and -0.9bar). In greenhouse conditions, the growth indexes of sweet corn seedlings were studied under increasing levels of drought stress. The results showed that as drought stress levels increased, certain growth indicators such as seedling emergence and seedling emergence rate, soluble protein, chlorophyll total content, nitrogen, and phosphorus content decreased. On the other hand, mean emergence, proline, potassium, soluble sugars, malondialdehyde, and hydrogen peroxide were increased. The study found that the highest seedling emergence percentage occurred in the coating treatment of chitosan 0.5% + V10K2.5P5 (gr) at all levels of drought stress. Overall, seed coating with the Chitosan 0.5% + V10K2.5P5 (gr) treatment improved the performance of sweet corn seeds and reduced the negative effects of drought stress by increasing seedling emergence and establishment.

Combined vigour tests to estimate relative seedling emergence in the field and germination after storage in sweet corn seed lots

This study was carried out to test whether the radicle emergence (RE), cold (CT) and accelerated ageing (AAT) tests and their combinations of CT+RE and AAT+RE can be used to rank sweet corn seed lots according to field seedling emergence and germination after storage. Seed samples for eight hybrid seed lots were stored hermetically over 12 months at 20°C with 9.9-10.2% seed moisture. RE was counted between 32 and 72 hours, AAT was carried out at 41 ± 1°C and 100% RH for 72 hours, and CT at 5°C over two days. RE count was performed after AAT (AAT+RE) and CT (CT+RE). Seedling emergence was tested in two field sowings, in April and May 2022. The vigour test results were correlated with both seedling emergence percentages in the field and germination after storage. Both normal germination after CT (r = 0.73−0.94, P < 0.05−0.001) and AAT+RE72h (r = 0.71−0.84, P < 0.05−0.01) were significantly related to both parameters. The RE test was significantly related to seedling emergence, but not to any post-storage data. The normal seed germination percentage was found to be significant in only one case (sowing 2). Seed vigour in sweet corn seeds and its importance in relation to seedling emergence and seed storage are discussed.

Physiological, Biochemical, and Ultrastructural Changes in Naturally Aged Sweet Corn Seeds

Due to low starch content and poor seed vigor, sweet corn seeds exhibit poor storage stability. Therefore, understanding the physiological and biochemical changes in seeds after natural aging is crucial for assessing seed status and extending the storage period. This study aims to investigate the physiological, biochemical, and ultrastructural changes in aged seeds of different genotypes. An eight-month natural aging experiment was conducted on 10 sweet corn inbred lines. The results showed an obvious decrease in germination potential, germination ratio, germination index, and vigor index after natural aging, and two inbred lines with stronger tolerance to natural aging were identified from the 10 inbred lines studied. In aged seeds, levels of gibberellin, abscisic acid, total protein, total starch, as well as activities of antioxidant enzymes, lipoxygenase, and amylase, and malondialdehyde (MDA) content, exhibited significant differences among inbred lines. Correlation analysis revealed a positive correlation among four seed vigor indices and a highly negative correlation between seed vigor indices and MDA content. Germination ratio, germination index, and vigor index displayed a highly negative correlation with lipoxygenase activity. Furthermore, starch granule decomposition was observed in the endosperm of low-vigor inbred lines, contrary to amylase activity. Thus, this study indicates variations in seed vigor, biochemical indicators, and the ultrastructure of aged sweet corn seeds among different genotypes. Both lower lipoxygenase activity and reduced MDA accumulation contribute to seed resistance to aging.

Detection of sweet corn seed viability based on hyperspectral imaging combined with firefly algorithm optimized deep learning.

The identification of sweet corn seed vitality is an essential criterion for selecting high-quality varieties. In this research, a combination of hyperspectral imaging technique and diverse deep learning algorithms has been utilized to identify different vitality grades of sweet corn seeds. First, the hyperspectral data of 496 seeds, including four viability-grade seeds, are extracted and preprocessed. Then, support vector machine (SVM) and extreme learning machine (ELM) are used to construct the classification models. Finally, the one-dimensional convolutional neural networks (1DCNN), one-dimensional long short-term memory (1DLSTM), the CNN combined with the LSTM (CNN-LSTM), and the proposed firefly algorithm (FA) optimized CNN-LSTM (FA-CNN-LSTM) are utilized to distinguish spectral images of sweet corn seeds viability grade. The findings from the experimental analysis indicate that the deep learning models exhibit a significant advantage over traditional machine learning approaches in the discrimination of seed vitality levels, boasting a classification accuracy exceeding 94.26% in test datasets and achieving an accuracy improvement of at least 3% compared to the best-performing machine learning model. Moreover, the performance of the FA-CNN-LSTM model proposed in this study demonstrated a slight superiority over the other three models. Besides, the FA-CNN-LSTM achieved a classification accuracy of 97.23%, representing a significant improvement of 2.97% compared to the lowest-performing CNN and a 1.49% enhancement over the CNN-LSTM. In summary, this study reveals the potential of integrating deep learning with hyperspectral imaging as a promising alternative for discriminating sweet corn seed vitality grade, showcasing its value in agricultural research and cultivar breeding.

Integration of hyperspectral imaging, non-targeted metabolomics and machine learning for vigour prediction of naturally and accelerated aged sweetcorn seeds

Understanding and predicting the storage stability of sweetcorn seeds is critical for effective supply chain management, however, prediction ability relies heavily on accelerated ageing (AA) studies and this is not always directly applicable to natural ageing (NA). In this study, hyperspectral imaging (HSI) and non-targeted metabolomics (LC-MS/MS) were integrated using PLS-R, SVM-R and OPLS-DA to predict loss of seed vigour in NA seeds, using data based on AA seeds. The inconsistencies in the pattern of spectral variation between seeds undergoing AA and NA were first identified. AA-based vigour prediction models were then built using all wavelengths and effective wavelengths (EWs) selected by regression coefficients. These models were externally validated by independent AA and NA seed datasets, respectively. The results yielded satisfactory predictions for AA seeds (R2 ≥ 0.814), but low precision for NA seeds (R2 ≤ 0.696). Metabolome analysis identified 54 differential metabolites, containing a large proportion of amino acids, dipeptides and their derivatives, which were important substances reflecting discrepancies between the ageing mechanisms of AA and NA seeds. Subsequently, N-H bond-related wavebands were deemed to be a possible interference factor in the models' practicability. After removing the N-H bond-related EWs, the AA-based models achieved better performance on NA seeds, with R2v-2 value increasing from 0.696 to 0.720 for Lvsechaoren and from 0.668 to 0.727 for Zhongtian 300. In summary, coupling HSI, LC-MS/MS and machine learning was shown as an appropriate approach for non-destructive monitoring and predicting the vigour of stored sweetcorn seeds.

Sweet corn seeds coating with hexane plant extracts for controlling maize weevil (Sitophilus zeamais Motschulsky) and their effect on seed qualities

Sweet corn seeds coating with hexane plant extracts for controlling maize weevil (<i>Sitophilus zeamais</i> Motschulsky) and their effect on seed qualities

Influence of rice husk ash-derived silica nanoparticles on sweetcorn (Zea mays L. sachharata) seed germination

In agriculture, the utilization of nanomaterials has garnered significant global attention. This research adopts a pioneering approach to investigate the influence of nanosilica on the germination dynamics of sweetcorn seeds. The present study aimed to synthesize and analyze an amorphous nano-silica material using rice husk ash (RHA) and its impact on the germination of sweetcorn seeds (Zea mays L. sachharata). The extracted nano-silica particles dispersed into six rates of suspensions (0, 100, 200, 300, 400 and 500 ppm) were used to study their effects on seed germination. The synthesized amorphous nano-silica was determined for size, shape, and elemental content. The amorphous nature of the silica sample was confirmed by transmission electron microscopy-selected area electron diffraction (ED) patterns and X-ray diffraction (XRD), whereas siloxane and silanol groups were mainly detected by Fourier-transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy. Image obtained using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) revealed the presence of original nanoparticles alongside secondary microparticles, probably due to agglomeration. Particles in the extracted amorphous silica had an average diameter of 35 nm. Nano-silica powder was amorphous, according to XRD. As per the EDS analysis, the extracted silica sample is 96.87 % pure. The amorphous nano-silica significantly boosted germination metrics such as germination percentage, germination index, vigour index, and mean germination time of sweetcorn. With the addition of 300 ppm nano-silica, the germination percentage increased by 40.1%, the germination index by 96%, and the vigor index by 120% over control seeds. The improvement of seed germination by amorphous nano-silica in sweetcorn implies a potential application of nano-silica in seed germination.

Bioprospeksi Bunga Lolipop (Pachystachys lutea Nees) sebagai Sumber Alternatif untuk Produksi Gula

The lollipop plant (Pachystachys lutea Nees) has been known as an ornamental plant species that originated from the South America region. In Indonesia, some local children claim that the nectar of this flower has a very sweet flavor. This fact has inspired this short bioprospecting study of the lollipop plant with aim to discover its nectar as a potential alternative sugar source. The study was conducted in Bandung, West Java, Indonesia. Four lollipop plants from three different shading level (one plant in full shade andpartial shade, and two plant in full sun exposure) were sampled as many as five flowers from each plant and their nectar droplets, measured using brix refractometer, and also compared with sweet corn seeds (Zea mays L.) and sugarcane stems (Saccharum officinarum L.). The data was then validated for its significance using t-Tests. The result shows that the lollipop plant grown in partial shade has the highest brix percentage (27.00±1.02%) compared to the rest and is significantly different statistically. The brix percentage of all samples combined for this lollipop plant (25.56±0.42%) also surpassed the sugarcane (15.33±0.36%) and sweet corn (12.67±0.47%) and was significantly different statistically.

Field Emergence Test in Relation to Laboratory Seed Quality Tests of Sweet Corn Seed

High quality seeds of sweet corn will lead to high productivity. The quality of seeds can be known through germination testing. The field emergence test is one of seed quality testing with approach to a new method of quality testing in the field. The aims to study seed testing with the approach of field emergence method and finds out its relationship with the germination and vigor tests. This research used randomized complete block design (RCBD) with seven replications on each variety. Field emergence test was carried out by observing the number of open leaves and plant height while laboratory seed quality tests were assessed using standard germination test and accelerated ageing (AA) vigor test. The result showed that the field emergence test observed at 14 days after planting (DAP) gave a clear distinction of normal and abnormal plants, with a criteria normal plant had a criterion 3-4 open leaves and 16.9 ± 2.9 cm in plant height while abnormal had less than 3 leaves and short plant height. Field emergence percentage was calculated by the number of normal plants. There was a correlation at each time of observation of field emergence with germination and vigor tests result.

Discrimination of individual seed viability by using the oxygen consumption technique and headspace-gas chromatography-ion mobility spectrometry

It is crucial to identify and select high-quality seeds for improving crop yield. The purpose of this study was to improve the selection of crop seeds for separating vital seeds from dead seeds, by predicting the potential germination ability for each seed, and thus improve seed quality. The oxygen consumption (Q) of seed and the headspace-gas chromatography-ion mobility spectrometry (HS-GC-IMS) were evaluated for identifying single seed viability. Firstly, the oxygen consumption technique was the hope, for the difference was found among values relative to respiratory characteristics across seeds vital or not, in final oxygen consumption (Q120), which was achieved not only on sweet corn seeds but also on pepper and wheat seeds. Besides, a new variable, Qt, was established to shorten the measuring process in the Q2 procedure, which was significantly related to the viability of individual seeds. To minimize seed damage during measurement, the timing for viability evaluation was pinpointed at the 12th, 6th and 9th hour for pepper, sweet corn, and wheat seeds based on the new variable concerning oxygen consumption (Q12, Q6 and Q9), respectively. The accuracies for viability prediction were 91.9, 97.7 and 96.2%, respectively. Dead seeds were identified and hence discarded, leading to an enhancement in the quality of the seed lot regarding an increase in germination percentage, all from 86.6, 90.9, and 53.8% to 100%. We then tried the HS-GC-IMS to determine the viability of single sweet corn seed, for corn seed has a heavier weight to make the volatile gas components most likely to be detected. A total of 48 peaks were identified, of which 38 target compounds were characterized, including alcohols, aldehydes, acids and esters. However, there were no significant difference between the vital and dead seeds, due to the trace amount volatile composition difference among individual seeds. Furthermore, the PCA based on the signal intensity of the target volatile compounds obtained lost its effectiveness, unable to distinguish those two types of sweet corn seeds. These strategies can provide a reference for rapid detection of single seed viability.

Aged sweet corn (Zea mays L. saccharata Sturt) seeds trigger hormone and defense signaling during germination

Abstract: Seed ageing during storage or shipping can affect the yield and cost of agricultural production. Sweet corn is a naturally mutated corn cultivar with weak seed vitality during storage. In this study, we have shown that endogenous hormone level dynamics of fresh and aged sweet corn seeds were different during early geminating process. Transcriptomic assembling uncovered several novel transcripts during early stage of sweet corn germination in signal transduction and RNA processing pathways. Comparative transcriptomic profiling revealed that expression of many genes was activated earlier in aged seeds than fresh ones. Functional analyses showed that, as two major networks, plant hormone signaling and defense pathways were different between fresh and aged sweet corn seeds. Auxin, cytokinin, gibberellin, salicylic acid and jasmonic acid signaling pathways were activated earlier in aged seeds than fresh ones on the first day after imbibition. These results provided knowledge for understanding the ageing process of sweet corn seeds and several candidate genes for genetic study of seed ageing mechanism.

Detection of Miss-Seeding of Sweet Corn in a Plug Tray Using a Residual Attention Network

With the promotion of artificial intelligence in agriculture and the popularization of plug tray seedling-raising technology, seedling raising and transplanting have become the most popular planting modes. Miss-seeding is one of the most serious problems affecting seedling raising and transplanting. It not only affects the germination rate of seeds but also reduces the utilization rate of the plug tray. The experimental analysis of traditional machine vision-based miss-seeding showed that because of uneven lighting, the plug tray was wrongly identified as a seed under bright light, but the seeds in the dark were not easy to identify. When using the seeding area to identify seeds and noise, sweet corn seeds in a small area can be easily screened out. This paper proposes a method using the ResNet network with an attention mechanism to solve the above-mentioned problems. In this paper, the captured image was segmented into the images of a single plug tray, and a residual attention network was built; the detection scheme of miss-seeding was also converted into a dichotomous picture recognition task. This paper demonstrates that the residual attention network can effectively recognize and detect the seed images of sweet corn with very high accuracy. The results of the experiment showed that the average accuracy of this recognition model was 98%. The feature visualization method was used to analyze the features, further proving the effectiveness of the classification method of plug tray seedlings.

Invigoration of crystal sweet corn seeds by hydropriming

Invigoration of crystal sweet corn seeds by hydropriming

THE MEDIATION ROLE OF CUSTOMER SATISFACTION ON THE INFLUENCE OF PRICE PERCEPTION, PRODUCT QUALITY, AND SERVICE QUALITY TO CUSTOMER LOYALTY

The objective of this study is to examine effect of price perception, product quality, customer satisfaction, and service quality on customer loyalty. The study also examines the mediating role of customer satisfaction on the effect of perceived price, product quality, and service quality on customer loyalty of bonanza sweet corn seeds product of PT. East-West Seed Indonesia that marketed in Brebes District, Central Java of Indonesia. Quantitative research method was employed to generate 106 respondents through purposive sampling, analized with multiple regression analysis and Sobel test. The respondents are dealers (customers) of PT. East-West Seed Indonesia. Dealers have duty to make sure sweet corn seed producer fulfills their need of sweet corn seeds and in other sides, serves all needs of sweet corn seeds to farmers as their partner in that area. The study finds that perceived price, product quality, service quality, and customer satisfaction have a positive effect on customer loyalty, and customer satisfaction mediates the effect of perceived price, product quality, and service quality on customer loyalty of bonanza sweet corn in Brebes. Referred to these findings, it can be implied that as an effort to continuously improve the customer loyalty, management of PT. East West Seed Indonesia should implement the appropriate policies related of perceived price, product quality, service quality and customer satisfaction of Bonanza sweet corn in Brebes. The future studies may replicate in other contexts and comparison of models that will give more understanding. KEYWORDS: Perceived Price, Product Quality, Service Quality, Customer Satisfaction, Customer Loyalty.

Quality of sweet corn seeds treated before and after storage

This work aims to evaluate the effect of industrial treatment with different chemicals and also seed sizes on the physiological behavior of sweet corn in addition to evaluating the content of active ingredients of insecticides before and three months after storage. Four lots of a single sweet corn cross hybrid (L1, L2, L3 and L4) and different sieves (S1, S2 and S3) were carried out in two experiments. Experiment 1: industrial seed treatment, T1 = untreated seeds (control), T2 = Maxim Advanced®, T3 = Cruiser® 350 FS and T4 = Poncho®. Experiment 2: quantification of the content of active ingredients, commercial products Cruiser® 350 FS and Poncho and the distribution efficiency was measured by HPLC-UV. The results showed that industrial seed treatment with Maxim Advanced®, Cruiser® 350 FS and Poncho® can be carried out three months before sowing without damaging sweet corn seeds. HPLC is efficient to quantify the content of active ingredients in sweet corn seeds treated with Cruiser® 350 FS and Poncho®. The industrial seed treatment was calibrated for each batch, which is justified by the different amounts of active ingredient between batches and seed sizes.

Pest categorisation of High Plains wheat mosaic virus.

The EFSA Panel on Plant Health conducted a pest categorisation of High Plains wheat mosaic virus (HPWMoV) for the EU territory. The identity of HPWMoV, a member of the genus Emaravirus (family Fimoviridae), is well established and reliable identification methods are available. The pathogen is not included in the EU Commission Implementing Regulation 2019/2072. HPWMoV has been reported from Argentina, Australia, Canada, Ukraine and USA, and it is not known to be present in the EU. HPWMoV infects plant species of the family Poaceae (i.e. wheat, maize and several other cultivated or wild Poaceae species). It is the causal agent of High Plains disease of wheat and maize, inducing symptoms ranging from mild to severe mosaic, chlorosis and necrosis in wheat, and chlorotic streaks in maize plants. The virus is transmitted by the wheat curl mite Aceria tosichella, which is present in the EU. HPWMoV transmission via seeds was reported to occur in sweet corn. Sweet corn seeds for sowing were identified as the most relevant pathway for entry of HPWMoV into the EU. Seeds from other hosts and viruliferous wheat curl mites were identified as entry pathways associated with uncertainties. Machinery not appropriately cleaned may move infected seeds and/or parts of cereals infested by viruliferous mites. Cultivated and wild hosts of HPWMoV are distributed across the EU. Would the pest enter and establish in the EU territory, economic impact on the production of cultivated hosts is expected. Phytosanitary measures are available to prevent entry and spread of the virus in the EU. HPWMoV fulfils the criteria that are within the remit of EFSA to assess for it to be regarded as a potential Union quarantine pest.

Evaluation of Biochemical and Physiological Changes in Sweet Corn Seeds under Natural Aging and Artificial Accelerated Aging

Sweet corn seeds are sensitive to storage due to their low starch content and poor seed vigor. Therefore, it is important to understand their physiological and biochemical behavior during storage to prolong their longevity and prevent the loss of vigor. The purpose of this study was to elucidate the physiological and biochemical changes in sweet corn seeds during storage. Artificial accelerated aging and natural aging were applied to 19 inbred lines. We found that GP, GR and VI decreased as aging proceeded. The physiological and biochemical characteristics of seeds three days after artificial aging (AA3d) and eight months after natural aging (NA8M) were evaluated. The contents of GA, ABA, and malondialdehyde and amylase activity in AA3d and NA8M seeds showed significant differences among the lines, while the total protein and total starch content showed nonsignificant or small differences. We found significant differences among the lines and a nonsignificant difference between AA3d and NA8M seeds in the activity of antioxidant enzymes. A correlation analysis showed that the germination rate was significantly negatively correlated with the ABA content in AA3d seeds, while SOD was positively correlated with GR and GI in NA8M seeds. This study provides a useful catalog of physiological and biochemical changes in sweet corn seeds, offering insights for the future genetic improvement of sweet corn’s storage tolerance.

Studying hybrids of sugar corn under the conditions of the foothill zone of the KBR

This work is devoted to the study of various hybrids of sweet corn of a new selection, recommended for cultivation in the conditions of the South of Russia. The objects of study were the first generation sweet corn hybrids: Spirit, Boston, Royalty, Vega and Overland, with maturation periods from 75 to 85 days. Sowing was carried out at the same time with reference to weather conditions and varied over the years of research. So in 2020, the sowing of all hybrids was carried out on April 25, and in 2021 it was possible to sow only on May 5. The productivity of sweet corn is highly dependent on the choice of grown hybrids, as well as growing conditions. Sweet corn seeds were purchased from trusted suppliers with a certificate of conformity. In all hybrids, under conditions of sufficient humidity, germination was high, which is explained by the simultaneity of seedlings and high germination energy. Later, getting into different growing conditions during the growing season, the shape of plants, the area of leaves, and the yield of cobs changed. The yield of commercial cobs of the studied sweet corn hybrids is closely related to their biometric parameters. The Vega and Overland hybrids showed the highest increments in the yield of commercial cobs and exceeded the control by 3.8 and 4.9 t/ha or by 18 and 23%. Hybrid Spirit, which was the control variant, showed the lowest yield. This is due to the fact that other studied hybrids are more adapted to the soil and climatic conditions of this zone.

Evaluation of volatile metabolites as potential markers to predict naturally-aged seed vigour by coupling rapid analytical profiling techniques with chemometrics

Rapid volatile detection methods for seed vigour rely heavily on artificial ageing (AA), however the comparability of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) to natural ageing (NA) and practicability of the detection models were not well known. In this study, VOCs between AA and NA sweet corn seeds were compared and Partial Least Squares Regression (PLS-R) modelswere constructed based on AA to predict the seed vigour of NA. A total of 33 VOCs were identified, among which aldehydes showed the highest consistency between NA and AA. Furthermore, a AS-PLS-R model with variable importance in projection (VIP > 1) and Pearson Correlation Coefficient (r > 0.9) algorithms, which was built on 3 volatile markers: benzaldehyde monomer, n-nonanal, 1-butanol monomer, achieved the best performance (R2p of 0.901 and RMSEP of 0.050). Therefore, coupling Gas Chromatography- Ion Mobility Spectrometry (GC-IMS) with chemometrics can be an effective way to monitor and predict stored seeds vigour.

Effects of phosphorus fertilizer on kernel phytic acid and zinc bioavailability in sweet corn

<p id="C3">To clarify the effects of phosphorus fertilizer on nutritional characteristics of sweet corn kernels, the temporal (different filling stages) and spatial (upper, middle, and lower cob; kernel skin dregs, endosperm and embryo) variations of phytic acid (PA), phosphorus (P) and zinc (Zn) contents and Zn bioavailability of sweet corn kernels and their responses to exogenous phosphorus fertilizer were investigated using filed phosphorus fertilizer experiment (P fertilizer location experiment for sweet corn genotypes and P fertilizer level experiment). The results were as follows: P fertilizer mainly inhibited Zn bioavailability by suppressing Zn concentration in sweet corn kernels, and increased PA concentrations concurrently. P fertilizer input showed significant effects on the accumulation of PA, P, and Zn (mg plant^-1) after 16-24 days of silking, while inhibitory effects were detected on Zn bioavailability at different kernel filling stages. There was no significant difference in the kernel of PA (g kg^-1) and zinc bioavailability among different cob positions under medium P treatment. However, the high P level significantly improved the accumulation of PA in the middle and lower cob, while the inhibitory effect was found on the kernel of Zn concentration and Zn bioavailability at all cob positions. Among different parts of the kernel (skin dregs, endosperm, and embryo), the concentrations of PA, P, and Zn were the highest values in the embryo and their accumulation were the highest value in the endosperm, while Zn bioavailability was also the highest in the embryo. High P treatment significantly increased PA and P concentrations and decreased Zn concentration and its bioavailability at different kernel positions. Hence, optimized phosphorus fertilizer application could promote kernel Zn accumulation, while excessive P fertilizer input significantly increased PA accumulation at different filling stages, as well as in the endosperm and embryo, and eventually had a significant inhibitory effect on kernel Zn bioavailability in sweet corn at different cob and kernel positions. This study provides a theoretical reference for the biofortification of Zn in sweet corn seeds.