Effect of light on DIMBOA synthesis in maize leaves as revealed by modified cost-effective extraction method

2,4-Dihydroxy-7-methoxy-1,4-benzoxazine-3-one (DIMBOA) known for its antibiotic properties against many pests and diseases in maize plant was extracted from different varieties. In one of the extraction methods of DIMBOA from maize leaves, Amberlite XAD7, an adsorbent, was used for extracting this and it gave a pure fraction containing DIMBOA. The adsorbent Amberlite XAD, being an expensive material, was uneconomical for processing a large number of samples. Therefore, one of the reported solvent extraction method was modified to make the extraction procedure cost effective without losing the target compounds. Using the modified method, DIMBOA was extracted for different varieties under dark and light condition. Results showed that high concentrations of DIMBOA were extracted from plants grown in dark condition as compared to plants grown in light indicating that light played significant role in inhibition of DIMBOA.