Variability of grain color parameters among local maize cultivars in Azerbaijan

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Background. Aleurone and pericarp pigments in maize grain are regulated by the content of anthocyanins, carotenoids, tocopherols, and their various combinations, which determines their nutraceutical and coloring properties. Searching for sources of natural dyes to replace synthetic ones becomes increasingly popular and contributes to the development of hybrid maize breeding for food and dye production. Materials and methods. A comprehensive study of Azerbaijani germplasm was used to select 112 diverse maize accessions and evaluate them for grain color. There were 5 blocks of study, conducted in two agroclimatic zones (Zaqatala in 2013, and Baku in 2014). The grain color gamut parameters were analyzed in the CIELAB system using the luminance coordinates (L* = 0 for dark, and L* = 100 for bright). The a* coordinate denoted red/green, with +a* for red, and –a* for green, and the b* coordinate denoted yellow/blue, with +b* for yellow, and –b* for blue. The hue angle and color in the a*b* plane were also measured. Results. Five clusters with a wide grain color diversity were identified during the study of local maize accessions. The color intensity variation in the studied set was within the range of 42.36–66.49, the red/green values within 5.32–15.93, the blue/yellow values within 18.07–44.40, the color values in the a*b* plane within 18.98–46.12, and the hue angle values within 62.50–80.14. The ranking of colors into 5 clusters showed that 96 were concentrated in the 1st cluster, with the color brightness value of 58.16, the red/green value (a*) of 10.45, and the blue/yellow value (b*) of 32.82. Besides, the color value in the a*b* plane was 34.48, and the hue in the a*b* plane was 72.41. Some correlations were found between grain color and morphometric characters, and grain biochemistry. Conclusion. The Azerbaijani local maize collection exhibits a wide diversity for the inbreeding of lines with various grain colors, promising for hybrid maize breeding.