Genes Reveal the Epic Journey of Maize
June 8, 2007| |
How did maize become ubiquitous and widespread? From the warm climes of Spain to the cold, short day-lengths of Germany, from Nigeria to the Caribbean, maize can be found everywhere. Recent work by CIMMYT and partners sheds new light on maize’s global migration. Scientists have used DNA markers and new approaches to analyze close to 900 populations of maize and its ancestor, teosinte, from around the world.
The studies corroborate the notion that northern European maize originates from North American varieties brought to the continent several decades after Columbus’ return, and definitely not from tropical genotypes. Temperate maize spread further north and east across North America, while tropical maize spread south. The two maize types are now so different from each other that they do not cross well, and their hybrids are not well adapted anywhere. The work on elucidating the epic journey of maize continues, and will one day help breeders design maize varieties with attractive traits, taking advantage of the vast gene pool of maize.
Read the news article at http://www.cimmyt.org/english/wps/news/2007/may/amazingmaize.htm.
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