Maroon Rice Genomic Diversity Reflects 350 Years of Colonial History.

Maroons in Suriname and French Guiana descend from enslaved Africans who escaped the plantations during colonial times. Maroon farmers still cultivate a large diversity of rice, their oldest staple crop. The oral history and written records of Maroons by colonial authorities provide contrasting perspectives on the origins of Maroon rice.

Hidden Rice Diversity in the Guianas.

Traditional crop varieties are an important source of genetic diversity for crop adaptation and modern breeding. Landraces of Asian () and African () rice have been well studied on the continents where they were domesticated. However, their history of cultivation in northern South America is poorly understood.