Genetic and phenotypic evaluation of european maize landraces as a tool for conservation and valorization of agrobiodiversity
Authors
Balconi, CarlottaGalaretto, Agustin
Malvar, Rosa Ana
Nicolas, Stéphane D.
Redaelli, Rita
Andjelkovic, Violeta
Revilla, Pedro
Bauland, Cyril
Gouesnard, Brigitte
Butron, Ana
Torri, Alessio
Barata, Ana Maria
Kravic, Natalija
Combes, Valérie
Mendes-Moreira, Pedro
Murariu, Danela
Šarčević, Hrvoje
Schierscher-Viret, Beate
Vincent, Morgane
Zanetto, Anne
Kessel, Bettina
Madur, Delphine
Mary-Huard, Tristan
Pereira, André
Placinta, Domnica Daniela
Strigens, Alexandre
Charcosset, Alain
Goritschnig, Sandra
Article (Published version)
Metadata
Show full item recordAbstract
The ECPGR European Evaluation Network (EVA) for Maize involves genebanks, research institutions, and private breeding companies from nine countries focusing on the valorization of maize genetic resources across Europe. This study describes a diverse collection of 626 local landraces and traditional varieties of maize (Zea mays L.) from nine European genebanks, including criteria for selection of the collection and its genetic and phenotypic diversity. High-throughput pool genotyping grouped the landraces into nine genetic groups with a threshold of 0.6 admixture, while 277 accessions were designated admixed and likely to have resulted from previous breeding activities. The grouping correlated well with the geographic origins of the collection, also reflecting the various pathways of introduction of maize to Europe. Phenotypic evaluations of 588 accessions for flowering time and plant architecture in multilocation trials over three years confirmed the great diversity within the collecti...on, although phenotypic clusters only partially correlated with the genetic grouping. The EVA approach promotes conservation of genetic resources and opens an opportunity to increase genetic variability for developing improved varieties and populations for farmers, with better adaptation to specific environments and greater tolerance to various stresses. As such, the EVA maize collection provides valuable sources of diversity for facing climate change due to the varieties’ local adaptation.
Keywords:
maize / genebanks / evaluation network / conservation / genetic groups / genetic diversity / phenological and morphological traits / genetic resourcesSource:
Biology, 2024, 13, 6, 454-Publisher:
- Basel : MDPI
Funding / projects:
- The authors are grateful for the financial support for this research provided by the German Federal Ministry of Food and Agriculture, grant GenRes 2019-2 to ECPGR, which allowed the implementation of the EVA networks.