Abstract: In this study, the maize variety Suyu 24 was used as the material for the investigation of the changes of main physio-biochemical reaction and carbohydrate components during germination. The results showed that as the germination proceeded, the content of dry matter decreased, and shoot length and germination rate increased at different degrees, respiratory intensity showed an increasing tendency, while soluble protein content reached the lowest level at the end of the 60th h and decreased by 39.47% compared to that of non-germinated control. The activities of α-amylase, β-amylase and total amylases gradually rose throughout the 108-h germination period and were 4.74, 16.82 and 14.41 times higher than those in non-germinated control at the end of the 60th h and 18.33, 69.77 and 59.58 times at the end of the 108th h. Under the function of amylases, the total starch content declined gradually and reached its minimum level at the end of the 60th h, which was 12.62% lower than that of non-germinated control; similarly, the amylose content displayed a general tendency to descend, and its values at the end of the 60th h was decreased by 3.19% compared to that of non-germinated control. The change trend of the DE value followed a decrease-increase-decrease pattern and a remarkable change was observed after the 36h h until the end of the germination, resulting in the maximum value 84 h after the beginning of the germination, which was increased by 13.71 times compared to that of non-germinated control. Correlation analysis of various parameters under investigation demonstrated that major physiological changes had a considerable effect on the composition of carbohydrates during the germination of maize.

Key words: maize, germination, carbohydrates, metabolism