Individual plant genetics reveal the control of local adaptation in European maize landraces.

ABSTRACT:

Background

European maize landraces encompass a large amount of genetic diversity, allowing them to be well-adapted to their local environments. This diversity can be exploited to improve the fitness of elite material in the face of a changing climate.

Results

We characterized the genetic diversity of 333 individual plants from 40 European maize landrace populations (EMLPs). We identified five genetic groups that mirrored the proximities of their geographical origins. Fixation indices showed moderate differentiation among genetic groups (0.034 to 0.093). More than half of the genetic variance was observed to be partitioned among individuals. Nucleotide diversity of EMLPs decreased significantly as latitude increased (from 0.16 to 0.04), suggesting serial founder events durin

SUBMITTER: Aiyesa LV 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12096487 | biostudies-literature | 2025 May

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature