Mountain areas as biodiversity hotspot: discovery and characterization of maize landraces in Valle d’Aosta region

Despite the historical cultivation of maize (Zea mays L.) being well documented in Valle d’Aosta,\r\nno landrace from this mountain region was reported in the survey of maize carried out in\r\n1949-1950. These materials are still cultivated and have high importance from a genetic and\r\nhistorical point of view.\r\nRecently, 5 landraces from Valle d’Aosta have been collected and subjected to historic,\r\nmorphologic and genetic characterization. These landraces were named after the sampling\r\nlocation as it follows: Arnad, Arnad-Crest, Chatillon, Entrebin and Perloz.\r\nThis study proved landraces’ long presence on Valle d’Aosta territory through information and\r\nphotographs found in local archives. Moreover, the genetic characterization, which involved the\r\nuse of SSR markers, highlighted a significant genetic variability and differentiation among the\r\ninvestigated landraces. This may be explained by the long reproductive isolation experienced\r\nby these materials. Finally, morphological observations confirm the high diversity between\r\nlandraces revealing that they generally have flint kernels, variable colour from yellow to dark red\r\n(Chatillon) while Perloz showed kernels with an apical beak, suggesting the belonging to the\r\n“Rostrata” group.\r\nThe present work confirms the importance of mountain areas in conserving agrobiodiversity and\r\nthe richness of the Italian maize germplasm with materials well adapted to marginal areas. Such\r\nrich genetic variability may be characterized searching for useful traits for a more resilient\r\nagriculture.