The Portuguese maize bread (''broa'') manufactured from traditional maize landraces still plays an important economic and social role on Central and Northern rural communities of the country. However the traditional maize landraces agricultural systems are changing. Local maize landraces are in risk of disappearing because of the progressive adoption of hybrid varieties not suitable for bread production. These changes are contributing to a major loss of genetic diversity. An expedition took place in the Central region of Portugal (Beira Interior and Beira Litoral) with the purpose of collecting enduring maize landraces with technological ability for bread production and to access the possibility of establishing a participatory plant breeding and conservation program. A total of 51 different maize landraces and 175 other varieties of associated crops were collected. Maize landraces showed to maintain high diversity and potential for improvement. The production relayed on small farms with polycrop, quality oriented, sustainable systems. A participatory plant breeding and conservation program would be possible on this region with the proviso that local authorities would be involved. This program would allow a higher valuation of these maize populations, contributing to halt the current loss of these unique Portuguese maize landraces.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.
hi@scite.ai
10624 S. Eastern Ave., Ste. A-614
Henderson, NV 89052, USA
Copyright © 2024 scite LLC. All rights reserved.
Made with 💙 for researchers
Part of the Research Solutions Family.