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, no landrace from this mountain region was reported in the survey of maize carried out in 1949-1950. These materials are still cultivated and have high importance from a genetic and historical point of view. Recently, 5 landraces from Valle d’Aosta have been collected and subjected to historic, morphologic and genetic characterization. These landraces were named after the sampling location as it follows: Arnad, Arnad-Crest, Chatillon, Entrebin and Perloz. This study proved landraces’ long presence on Valle d’Aosta territory through information and photographs found in local archives. Moreover, the genetic characterization, which involved the use of SSR markers, highlighted a significant genetic variability and differentiation among the investigated landraces. This may be explained by the long reproductive isolation experienced by these materials. Finally, morphological observations confirm the high diversity between landraces revealing that they generally have flint kernels, variable colour from yellow to dark red (Chatillon) while Perloz showed kernels with an apical beak, suggesting the belonging to the “Rostrata” group. The present work confirms the importance of mountain areas in conserving agrobiodiversity and the richness of the Italian maize germplasm with materials well adapted to marginal areas. Such rich genetic variability may be characterized searching for useful traits for a more resilient agriculture.