Two teosintes made modern maize

Abstract

The origins of maize were the topic of vigorous debate for nearly a century, but neither the current genetic model nor earlier archaeological models account for the totality of available data, and recent work has highlighted the potential contribution of a wild relative, Zea mays ssp. mexicana . Our population genetic analysis reveals that the origin of modern maize can be traced to an admixture between ancient maize and Zea mays ssp. mexicana in the highlands of Mexico some 4000 years after domestication began. We show that variation in admixture is a key component of maize diversity, both at individual loci and for additive genetic variation underlying agronomic traits. Our results clarify the origin of modern maize and raise new questions about the anthropogenic mechanisms underlying dispersal throughout the Americas.

Can’t carve air, can’t weave names: Plant species used in Colombian artisan crafts are not equally assessed for vulnerability at the international and national level

“…The adoption of introduced plant species into medicinal practice is partly due to the introduction of non-native food species, that also had medicinal use (Bennett & Prance, 2000). It is widely known that food species have been cultivated and spread by human action, like corn, a crop that was domesticated approximately 7,000 to 10,000 years ago from teosinte ( Z. mexicana and Z. perennis ) in the highlands of current day Mexico; its variations quickly spread across the two continents (García-Lara & Serna-Saldivar, 2019; Yang et al, 2023). Corn was also one of the three outliers for number of local common names attributed to each species.…”

Natural variations of heterosis-related allele-specific expression genes in promoter regions lead to allele-specific expression in maize

“…Teosinte possesses abundant genetic diversity and numerous beneficial genes with substantial breeding value. Favorable alleles in teosinte are domesticated into specific alleles in different subgroups through gene infiltration and artificial selection, laying the foundation for heterosis formation [ 8 , 55 , 64 , 65 ]. Our analysis demonstrated the significant enrichment of 758 ASEGs in regions associated with heterosis-related genes, with 10 heterosis-related BS ASEGs being significantly domesticated (Fig.…”

Current progress and future prospects for understanding genetic diversity of seed plants in China

“…The grape, one of the most widely cultivated cash crops in the world, has the same debate on single versus multiple domestications. 20,21 Modern genomic sequencing is elucidating complex and debated domestication histories for an increasing number of crops, including maize, 23 Persian walnut, 24 Chinese Gooseberry or Kiwifruit, 25,26 and apples. 27 While advanced sequencing technologies are improving resolution of genetic data, key limitations to understanding crop domestication remain due to common issues of inadequate sampling, misidentified accessions, and ineffective approaches.…”

“…27 While advanced sequencing technologies are improving resolution of genetic data, key limitations to understanding crop domestication remain due to common issues of inadequate sampling, misidentified accessions, and ineffective approaches. 19,22,23 Extensive global collaborations and in-depth exploration with bioinformatics technologies can overcome the above shortcomings and increase our understanding of crop domestication.…”