Biodiversity of Northern Italy popcorn: a study on genetic diversity and agronomic performances of traditional landraces.

ABSTRACT: Popcorn (Zea mays spp. mays - Everta) is an ancient and widely recognized maize type, of American origin, enjoyed for centuries worldwide and still highly valued for its unique popping trait. Italy, considered a secondary center of maize differentiation, still holds a rich diversity of local maize landraces survived on farm and also ex situ stored. Despite this genetic wealth, Italian popcorn varieties have largely been neglected in modern breeding programs and remain poorly characterized, with only fragmented and incomplete data available. Recent studies have confirmed the widespread presence of traditional popcorn landraces across Italy, also if relegate to small garden cultivations, yet a comprehensive understanding of their genetic and agronomic traits remains lack

SUBMITTER: Lezzi A 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12202408 | biostudies-literature | 2025

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature