Caracterización agronómica de germoplasmas de maíz de Uruguay

Maize is a crop of great economic and social importance in Uruguay, used for both human and animal consumption. Therefore, studying the genetic variability present in the country is essential in order to identify varieties adapted to local conditions and possessing favorable traits in the face of adverse climatic factors, such as water deficit. In this context, the conservation of landraces becomes especially relevant, as they represent a valuable source of genetic diversity for crop improvement and sustainability.

The objective of this study was to evaluate the agronomic characteristics and yield of 15 maize varieties in Uruguay, including landraces, selection populations, and open-pollination varieties. The trial was conducted in a particularly dry year during the 2022/2023 growing season at the Experimental Station Centro Regional Sur (CRS) of the Faculty of Agronomy.

Various agronomic characteristics were evaluated, such as grain color, stem diameter, plant height, number of ears, ear height, ear height/plant height ratio, days to flowering, ear weight, and grain weight. The results showed significant differences in many of these variables, which is of great importance since genetic variability is a resource we can leverage.

The results highlight the importance of continuing to evaluate and select maize varieties that maximize their yield in adverse climatic conditions, with the conservation of criollo varieties being key as a source of genetic variability. Furthermore, it was concluded that the water deficit conditions during the experiment influenced the results obtained, underscoring the need for additional studies under different environmental conditions.