Influence of Agricultural Management on Phytochemicals of Colored Corn Genotypes ( Zea mays L.). Part 2: Sowing Time.

Among the agronomic practices carried out in corn cultivation, the early sowing time is increasingly used by farmers of temperate regions to improve yield and reduce mycotoxin contamination of corn grains. The present study determined the influence of sowing time on the phytochemical content of grains of 10 colored genotypes of corn. There was a significant improvement of both grain yield (+26%), thousand kernel weight (+3%), and test weight (+2%) in plots sown early. The early sowing also significantly influenced the chemical composition of corn grains, with an increase in the concentration of cell-wall-bound phenolic acids (+5%) and β-cryptoxanthin (+23%) and a decrease in the concentration of lutein (-18%) and total anthocyanins (-21%). Environmental conditions that occurred during grain development significantly influenced the phytochemical content of corn grain, and early spring sowing could impart advantages in terms of both productivity and content of some antioxidants of whole-meal corn flour.