Wild Relatives of Maize

Authors: CRUZ-CARDENAS, CARLOS - Centro Nacional De Recursos Genéticos; CORTES-CRUZ, MOISES - Centro Nacional De Recursos Genéticos; Gardner, Candice; COSTITCH, DENISE - International Maize & Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT)

Submitted to: Crop Science
Publication Type: Book / Chapter
Publication Acceptance Date: 11/30/2018
Publication Date: 3/15/2019
Citation: Cruz-Cardenas, C.I., Cortes-Cruz, M., Gardner, C.A., Costitch, D.E. 2019. Wild Relatives of Maize. In: Greene, S.L., Williams, K., Khoury C., Kantar, M.B., Marek, L., editors. North American Crop Wild Relatives. Volume 2: Important Species. Crop Science. Cham, Switzerland:Springer International Publishing. p. 3-39. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-97121-6_1.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-97121-6_1

Interpretive Summary: Maize is one of the most important crops in the world today and is used directly for human and animal consumption, for many processed food products, and for bioenergy. Mexico works to safeguard the main genetic diversity of maize and its wild relative teosinte, both native to the country. Wild relatives around the world are under threat due to changes in land use, overgrazing, and to changes in climate extremes and the frequency of severe climatic events. The disappearance of wild relatives in nature is primarily due to human influences, and their conservation involves special challenges, especially true for teosinte. Ancient remains of maize cobs and kernels have been found in a cave in the Mexican state of Oaxaca, and were dated 6250 years before the present era. Mesoamerican native cultures domesticated teosinte and developed maize from a 6 cm long, popping-kernel ear to what we now recognize as modern maize with its wide variety in ear size, kernel texture, color, size, and adequacy for diverse uses, and invented nixtamalization. Since maize is such an important species for the food security and economies of Mexico and the world, it is important to understand its relations with congeners and wild relative species, with a view to potential crop improvement. In this chapter we present information about the wild relatives of maize, the importance of their conservation, and their past and potential utilization.

Technical Abstract: This special publication focuses on use and status of crop wild relatives. This chapter focuses on maize, one of the most important crops in the world today and is used directly for human and animal consumption, for many processed food products, and for bioenergy. Current use of the maize crop, challenges to crop production, the status of maize wild relatives (teosinte and tripsacum, ex situ and in situ) are discussed. Mexico works to safeguard the main genetic diversity of maize and its wild relative teosinte, both native to the country. Wild relatives around the world are under threat due to changes in land use, overgrazing, and to changes in climate extremes and the frequency of severe climatic events. The disappearance of wild relatives in nature is primarily due to human influences, and their conservation involves special challenges, especially true for teosinte. Ancient remains of maize cobs and kernels have been found in a cave in the Mexican state of Oaxaca, and were dated 6250 years before the present era. Mesoamerican native cultures domesticated teosinte and developed maize from a 6 cm long, popping-kernel ear to what we now recognize as modern maize with its wide variety in ear size, kernel texture, color, size, and adequacy for diverse uses, and invented nixtamalization. Since maize is such an important species for the food security and economies of Mexico and the world, it is important to understand its relations with congeners and wild relative species, with a view to potential crop improvement. In this chapter information about the wild relatives of maize, their past and potential utilization, and the importance of their conservation is discussed.