GENETIC DIVERSITY IN POPULATIONS OF MEXICAN MAIZE RACES

Abstract

Maize (Zea mays L.) of Mexico has broad diversity as this country is considered the center of origin, domestication and diversification of this species, and despite the studies carried out on this regard, the great abundance of types makes it pertinent to deepen their analysis. The present study aimed to evaluate the inter and intrapopulation genetic diversity of 25 populations of maize races with 10 SSR markers. The first principal coordinate explained 42.11 % and the second one 18.18 % of the total variation. An average of 2.6 alleles per locus and gene diversity value of 0.44 were found. The F_ST statistic (0.427) indicated a high genetic differentiation between maize races. Serrano de Jalisco and Tabloncillo races showed the highest indices of gene diversity (0.53). The inter-population variation was 43 %. Races intended for special uses and with limited geographical distribution, such as Comiteco (0.33) and Chalqueño (0.30), presented the lowest levels of diversity and exhibited serious processes of inbreeding (F_IT = 0.618) and genetic drift.