ALPHA-AMYLASE INHIBITORS OF LEGUME SEEDS AND THEIR INVOLVEMENT IN THERESISTANCE TO BRUCHID BEETLES

The presence of inhibitors of proportional to-amylases from several so urces (bacterial, plant, insect and mammalian) was investigated in see ds of several food legumes. No inhibitor of any of the tested enzymes was found in Phaseolus lunatus (Lima bean) seeds while the presence of inhibitors of insect (bruchid), porcine pancreas and human saliva pro portional to-amylases was confirmed in the seeds of P. vulgaris (commo n bean). Glycine max (soybean) seeds showed proportional to-Als for al l the tested enzymes except for the porcine pancreatic amylase. Althou gh we have found low levels of proportional to-Als in both bruchid-sus ceptible and -resistant cowpea (Vigna unguiculata) seeds their presenc e does not correlate with the resistance shown by the seeds of some cu ltivars to the cowpea weevil Callosobruchus maculatus. The results rep orted here suggest that proportional to-Als are not involved in the re sistance of seeds of some cowpea lines to C. maculatus and that varian t vicilins, the 7S storage proteins involved in this resistance, do no t show any inhibitory towards bruchid proportional to-amylases.