Influence of Maize Dwarf Mosaic Virus Infection on the Sugar and Sorbitol Contents of Sweet Corn Kernels. E. E. Carey, Graduate Research Assistant, Department of Horticulture, University of Illinois, Urbana 61801. M. A. Mikel, Graduate Research Assistant, Department of Plant Pathology, and D. B. Dickinson, Professor, Department of Horticulture, University of Illinois, Urbana 61801. Plant Dis. 70:36-37. Accepted for publication 6 June 1985. Copyright 1986 The American Phytopathological Society. DOI: 10.1094/PD-70-36.

The effect of maize dwarf mosaic virus infection on the kernel sugar and sorbitol contents of the sweet corn (Zea mays) cultivars Gold Cup and Seneca Scout was investigated. Fructose, glucose, sucrose, maltose, and sorbitol levels in kernels from ears of healthy and virus-infected plants were measured 21, 35, and 50 days after pollination. Maize dwarf mosaic virus infection had no detectable effect on kernel sugars and sorbitol at any stage of development.