Bin Chen ¹ , Junfeng Hou ¹ , Yunfei Cai ² , Guiyue Wang ¹ , Renxiang Cai ³ , Fucheng Zhao ¹

1 Institute of Maize and Featured Upland Crops, Zhejiang Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Dongyang, 322100, Zhengjiang, China
2 Seed Management Station of Zhejiang Province, Hangzhou, 310009, Zhengjiang, China
3 Institute of Life Science, Jiyang College of Zhejiang A&F University, Zhuji, 311800, Zhengjiang, China
Author    Correspondence author
Maize Genomics and Genetics, 2024, Vol. 15, No. 3   doi: 10.5376/mgg.2024.15.0014
Received: 30 Apr., 2024    Accepted: 02 Jun., 2024    Published: 17 Jun., 2024

This is an open access article published under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

Chen B., Hou J.F., Cai Y.F., Wang G.Y., Cai R.X., and Zhao F.C., 2024, Utilizing genetic diversity for maize improvement: strategies and success stories, Maize Genomics and Genetics, 15(3): 136-146 (doi: 10.5376/mgg.2024.15.0014)

Utilizing genetic diversity for maize improvement is crucial for enhancing agricultural productivity and addressing climate change. As a major global crop, maize's genetic diversity is key to improving disease resistance, stress tolerance, and yield. This study reviews the sources of maize genetic diversity, including wild relatives, landraces, germplasm banks, and synthetic populations, and explores the main strategies for using these resources for maize improvement. These strategies include introgression breeding, heterosis breeding, marker-assisted breeding, genome-wide association studies (GWAS), genomic selection (GS), and CRISPR/Cas9 gene editing technology. Through case studies, the study demonstrates the successful application of these strategies in enhancing disease resistance, stress tolerance, nutritional quality, and yield in maize. The aim is to integrate traditional and modern breeding methods to propose future research directions for maize genetic improvement, providing new ideas and methods for maize variety improvement to meet global food demand and agricultural sustainability challenges. The significance of the research lies in providing a scientific basis for increasing maize productivity, economic benefits, and biodiversity conservation, promoting sustainable agricultural development.

Maize; Genetic diversity; Breeding strategies; Genomic selection; CRISPR/Cas9