Population genomics of native maize through pooled sequencing

Abstract

Argentina harbors nearly 60 native maize varieties showing broad morphological and genetic variability, mainly concentrated in two centers of diversity: the Northwest (NWA) and the Northeast (NEA). Yet their genomic characterization remains incomplete, as it requires genotyping numerous individuals and populations. Here, we characterized 21 populations (9 NWA, 9 NEA, and 3 Pampas) using a pooled ddRAD-Seq approach, simultaneously genotyping 50 individuals per population from a single genomic library.