Morphological Variation of Maize landraces in South Sudan | Chapter 11 | Current Research Progress in Agricultural Sciences Vol. 10

Maize (Zea mays L.) is the world’s most widely distributed crop and one of the major cereals grown globally. In South Sudan, maize is the second most cultivated cereal after sorghum, covering approximately 207,714 hectares, which accounts for about 21% of the country’s total cereal area. Despite its importance as a staple food for local populations in many states, South Sudan still depends on imports from neighboring countries to meet most of its maize demand. Morphological data remains a valuable tool for analyzing and managing genetic resources. However, integrating both phenotypic and molecular data provides a more comprehensive understanding of the genetic diversity within maize landrace accessions in South Sudan. In this study, morphological variation was examined among 31 maize landrace accessions collected from various farmers' fields across South Sudan, using seven quantitative agronomic traits. A significant positive correlation was found between days to tasseling (DT) and days to silking (DS), between plant height (PH) and ear height (EH) and stem width (SW), and between EH and SW and leaf length (LL). First, and second principal components accounted for 69% of the total variance (40.9% and 28.6%, respectively). PH, EH, SW, LL, and leaf width (LW) were strongly associated in a positive direction on the first principal component, while DT and DS were clearly characterized in a positive direction on the second component. A significant positive correlation was found between days to tasseling (DT) and days to silking (DS), as well as between plant height (PH), ear height (EH), and stem width (SW). Additionally, EH, SW, and leaf length (LL) were positively correlated. The first and second principal components accounted for 69% of the total variance (40.9% and 28.6%, respectively). PH, EH, SW, LL, and leaf width (LW) were strongly associated in a positive direction on the first principal component, while DT and DS were clearly characterized in a positive direction on the second component. A scatter plot based on phenotypic data identified three distinct groups based on the most discriminating characteristics: Group I consisted of five maize landrace accessions, Group II included 14 landrace accessions, and Group III comprised 10 landrace accessions. Principal component analysis revealed that the investigated genotypes did not cluster according to their geographical origins, suggesting a weak geographic relationship among the accessions. A scatter plot based on phenotypic data identified three distinct groups based on the most discriminating characteristics: Group I consisted of five maize landrace accessions, Group II included 14 accessions, and Group III comprised 10 accessions. Principal component analysis revealed that the investigated genotypes did not cluster according to their geographical origins, suggesting a weak geographic relationship among the maize landrace accessions. In conclusion, although the morphological characterization was conducted under South Korean climatic conditions, the study demonstrated significant phenotypic variation among the maize landrace accessions collected from South Sudan. This insight into phenotypic divergence could be highly beneficial for future breeding programs and the genetic improvement of South Sudan maize landrace accessions.

 

Author (s) Details

Ju Kyong Lee
Department of Bio-Resource Sciences, College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, Kangwon National University, Chuncheon 24341, Korea and Interdisciplinary Program in Smart Agriculture, Kangwon National University, Chuncheon 24341, Korea. 

 

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