In situ CONSERVATION AND PARTICIPATIVE IMPROVEMENT OF CREOLE MAIZE IN THE PENINSULA DE YUCATAN

The objectives of this study were to estimate the diversity of maize farmed by maize growers (“milperos”) of the Yucatan Peninsula, to review the state of maize conservation from 1948 to 2010, and to try out participative methods to best conservation and improvement of maize. Data of samples collected in 1948, 1974 and 1977 were analyzed; ethnobotanical explorations were carried out in 1999 and 2010; three cycles of visual stratified masal selection with four Creole maize were also practiced; and exhibition seeds in 44 localities were registered. The 1999 and 2010 explorations included 153 donors from 56 localities and 177 donors from 68 localities, respectively. Two-hundredth and thirty-six and 163 seed samples were collected from local populations of maize in the first and second exploration. The samples collected in 1999 and 2010 corresponded to the Tuxpeño, Dzit-Bacal, Nal-Tel landraces and crosses of them. In 1999 and 2010, it was found that 66.7% and 71.0% of the “milperos” interviewed, conserved and selected seeds from their maize populations for 6 or more years. The conservation of local maize increased 15.5%. However, the conservation of Dzit-Bacal maize decreased 14.2% in 10 years; therefore, its informal supply was strengthen in regional exhibitions of seeds and participative improvement of populations of that maize landrace was carried out, to reinforce its in-situ conservation and diversity