MORPHOLOGICAL DIVERSITY OF NATIVE MAIZE IN THE HUMID TROPICS OF PUEBLA, MEXICO

The most recent studies on maize in the humid tropics of Puebla were done in 1997, and consisted of agronomic evaluations. Thus, the objectives of this study were to assess the level of genetic diversity present among the native populations of maize, cultivated in this region, through their morphological characterization, and to determine the degree of association between these maize populations and the Tuxpeño race. Therefore, in the 2009-2010 autumn-winter season, 93 native maize populations, six improved varieties, and a racial control (Tuxpeño type) were evaluated in two localities, under a lattice experimental design 10×10 with two replications. The results of the analysis of variance suggested that genetic diversity was present in the populations evaluated, represented by a large morphological diversity. With cluster and principal component analyses, such variation was grouped in six groups, based on vegetative, phenological, tassel, ear and grain traits, as well as on several indexes. The maize landraces cultivated in the humid tropics of Puebla can be regarded as part of the Tuxpeño race, since most of them kept similarity with such race