Genetic diversity of maize (Zea mays L.) landraces from southwest China based on SSR data

Genetic diversity of 54 maize landraces from southwest China was tested using bulk DNA samples and 42 microsatellite (SSR) loci distributed on 10 chromosomes of maize. A total of 256 alleles were detected among the landraces. At each locus, the number of alleles varied from 2 to 9, with an average of 6.1. On the basis of the genetic similarity coefficients, clustering analysis separated the landraces into four groups. The landraces collected from the same region were mostly grouped together. To reveal the genetic structure and genetic diversity within landraces, 165 individuals from 11 landraces were analyzed. Individual DNA samples proved to be superior to bulk DNA samples in identifying genetic diversity of landraces. A total of 330 alleles were detected in the 11 landraces. According to the results of the individual DNA sampling analysis, estimates of the mean number of alleles 'A', the effective allelic number 'A(e)', the observed heterozygosity 'H(o)', and expected heterozygosity 'H(e)' were 7.86, 3.90, 0.69, and 0.37, respectively. An obvious genetic deviation from Hardy-Weinberg expectation was observed both among and within landraces and a considerable genetic variation was revealed within rather than among landraces. In addition, genetic diversity of landraces was greater in Sichuan than in the other three regions. It can be concluded that maize landraces in southwest China were initially introduced to Sichuan and from there to adjacent areas.