Field Crop 2025, Vol.8, No.4, 166-175 http://cropscipublisher.com/index.php/fc 171 the Central American Lowland population, and the Andes population. Although there is a risk of gene loss, in those places where traditional agriculture and food systems are still well preserved, the diversity of local varieties remains high (Figure 2). Figure 2 Maize races illustrating grain types: (1). Popcorn of the race ‘Pisingallo’ collected in Argentina (accession number: CIMMYTMA 29717), (2). Sweet corn of the race 'Chullpi' collected in Peru (CIMMYTMA 18213), (3). Flint corn of the race 'Cuban Flint' collected in Cuba (CIMMYTMA 2424), (4). Dent corn of the race 'Tuxpeño' collected in Mexico (CIMMYTMA 679), (5). Dent corn of the race 'Conico' collected in Mexico (CIMMYTMA 5645), (6). Floury corn of the race 'Cuzco' collected in Peru (CIMMYTMA 32058). These accessions are conserved in the germplasm bank of the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT, Mexico). Photo credits: CIMMYT germplasm bank (Adopted from Guzzon et al., 2021) 7.3 Lessons learned for cross-regional breeding and germplasm exchange In Africa and Latin America, the situation is not exactly the same, but there is a similarity-the diversity within populations is generally high, while the degree of differentiation is mostly moderate. Such resources are often very useful in breeding. Let's start with Africa. If some special hybrid vigor groups or those gene pools that have not been fully developed can be identified, new alleles may be introduced into hybrid breeding, making crops more resilient and adaptable (Gonhi et al., 2024). The story of Latin America is somewhat different. Local experience emphasizes that to address climate change and ensure food security, it is essential to preserve the diversity of local varieties. Moreover, the participation of farmers and in-situ conservation are not optional here (Aragón-Martínez et al., 2023). If cross-regional germplasm exchange is based on in-depth analysis of genetic structure, it can not only bring beneficial alleles but also broaden the genetic basis of the two regions, providing more room for the development of breeding programs.
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