Diversity of Maize Landraces in Germplasm Collections from South America

Abstract

In the Southern Cone there is a wide variety of maize landraces kept by small-scale farmers, which are of interest for the development of the crop at a worldwide scale. The countries of this region hold important ex situ maize collections in national and international Germplasm Banks, from missions that took place before the generalization of hybrids and transgenic cultivars. In order to avoid losses of genetic diversity and to promote their use in breeding programs, it is essential that these collections are adequately known and conserved. The aim of this study was to map the geographic distribution of the collections of maize from Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Paraguay and Uruguay, and to analyze its diversity based on the variable kernel type.

Relationship between phenological and morphological characteristics of plant with popcorn races of a diversity microcenter in southern Brazil

“…In the Zea mays L. species, one initial way of classifying the diversity of populations is to define races. About 300 races of maize, widely distributed in the American continent, have already been classified in the western hemisphere Vilaró, Vidal, & Abadie, 2020), and new races being discovered recently (Silva, Vidal, & Ogliari, 2016). A race is defined as a related group of populations with common characteristics that allow them to be recognized as a group (Anderson & Cutler 1942), being considered one of the first levels of classification of diversity in maize collections.…”