On-farm morphological characterization and conservation of high-altitude floury maize landraces from Tacna, Peru

Abstract

Peru is a major centre of maize diversity, where numerous landraces are maintained under traditional farming systems. This study documented and characterized floury maize landraces maintained under traditional on-farm cultivation in the Tacna region, southern Peru, integrating information on their geographic distribution, farming practices, and ear and kernel morphological diversity. A total of 178 accessions were collected across 35 localities in the Caplina, Locumba and Sama hydrographic basins and characterized using 19 morphological traits. Most accessions (164 of 178) originated from localities above 2000 metres above sea level, indicating strong representation of high-Andean farming areas in the documented germplasm. Floury maize cultivation was predominantly small-scale and oriented towards self-consumption, while crop rotation and the use of farmer-saved seed were common among respondents. Substantial morphological variation was observed among accessions, particularly in cob weight, ear weight, 100-grain weight, number of kernels per row and grain thickness, whereas cob filling percentage and several ear and grain dimensions varied comparatively little. Qualitative traits also revealed variation in ear shape, grain type and grain colour. These findings provide a concise characterization of farmer-managed floury maize germplasm from Tacna and establish a baseline for its documentation, management, and future genetic and agronomic evaluation.