Crop Science Journal of Natural Resources and Life Sciences Education
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Published in Crop Sci 17:578-582 (1977)
© 1977 Crop Science Society of America
677 S. Segoe Rd., Madison, WI 53711 USA
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Assay of p-Hydroxybenzaldehyde as a Measure of Hydrocyanic Acid Potential in Sorghums1

H. J. Gorz, W. L. Haag, J. E. Specht and F. A. Haskins2

A method of assessing the hydrocyanic acid potential (HCN-p) of sudangrass [Sorghum sudanense (Piper) Stapf] and sorghum [S. bicolor (L.) Moench] seedlings is described. This procedure is based on the determination of p-hydroxybenzaldehyde (p-HB), which is released upon hydrolysis of dhurrin, the cyanogen normally present in plants of Sorghum species. Extraction and hydrolysis of dhurrin are accomplished by autoclaving young leaf tissue in water. The content of p-HB in the aqueous extract is then determined by spectrophotometric assay in alkaline solution at 330 nm. Uniform samples for the comparison of widely divergent genotypes are obtained by using the first leaf of young, chamber-grown, green seedlings. Relative ranks of a wide variety of sorghum germplasm assayed for HCN content by this technique are in good agreement with those obtained by other methods. The procedure shows promise of providing a rapid and precise tool for conducting genetic and breeding studies with sorghums.

Key Words: Dhurrin • Prussic acid • Cyanide • Sudangrass • Forage sorghum • Sorghum sudanense • Sorghum bicolor

1 Contribution from the ARS, USDA, and the Nebraska Agric. Exp. Stn., Lincoln. Published ~ls Paper No. 5162, Journal Series. Nebraska Agric. Exp. Stn. The work reported was conducted under Nebraska Agric. Exp. Stn. Project No. 12-088.

2 Supervisory research geneticists, ARS, USDA, and professor of agronomy, Univ. of Nebraska; former research associate, Dep. of Agronomy, Univ. of Nebraska, now assistant professor, Dep. of Chemistry, Appalachian State Univ.; assistant professor of agronomy; and foundation professor of agronomy, Univ. of Nebraska, Lincoln, NE 68583, respectively.

Received for publication October 23, 1976.




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Environmental Quality		 The Plant Genome
Copyright © 1977 by the Crop Science Society of America.