Maize developmental mutants: embryos unable to form leaf primordia [Zea mays, corn]

Among a large collection of maize defective kernel mutants 14 were identified that have embryos lacking leaf primordia at maturity. These are a type of development mutant; all are single-gene recessive mutants in which both the endosperm and the embryo are defective and all are lethal because their mature kernels fail to germinate. Five of the mutants are allelic and located on chromosome arm 1S, while four other mutants are located on 1L, 3L, 4L, and 5L. The five allelic mutants are blocked at the proembryo stage, two other mutants are blocked at the transition stage, four at points intermediate between the transition and the coleoptilar stages, and one at the coleoptilar stage of embryo development. The other two developmental mutants produce embryos that range from the transition to the coleoptilar stage at maturity. One additional defective kernel mutant ranges from the coleoptilar stage to stage 1 (first leaf primordium) and two other mutants reach stage 1 or later by maturity.