A B73×Palomero Toluqueño mapping population reveals local adaptation in Mexican highland maize.

Generations of farmer selection in the central Mexican highlands have produced unique maize varieties adapted to the challenges of the local environment. In addition to possessing great agronomic and cultural value, Mexican highland maize represents a good system for the study of local adaptation and acquisition of adaptive phenotypes under cultivation. In this study, we characterize a recombinant inbred line population derived from the B73 reference line and the Mexican highland maize variety Palomero Toluqueño.

Characterization of introgression from the teosinte ssp. to Mexican highland maize.

Background: The spread of maize cultivation to the highlands of central Mexico was accompanied by substantial introgression from the endemic wild teosinte ssp. , prompting the hypothesis that the transfer of beneficial variation facilitated local adaptation.

Methods: We used whole-genome sequence data to map regions of ssp.