Maize Genomics and Genetics 2025, Vol.16, No.2, 60-69 http://cropscipublisher.com/index.php/mgg 60 Feature Review Open Access Advances in the Collection and Utilization of Fresh-Eating Maize Germplasm Resources Xingzhu Feng Hainan Institute of Biotechnology, Haikou, 570206, Hainan, China Corresponding author: xingzhu.feng@hibio.org Maize Genomics and Genetics, 2025, Vol.16, No.2 doi: 10.5376/mgg.2025.16.0006 Received: 13 Jan., 2025 Accepted: 27 Feb., 2025 Published: 10 Mar., 2025 Copyright © 2025 Feng, 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. Preferred citation for this article: Feng X.Z., 2025, Advances in the collection and utilization of fresh-eating maize germplasm resources, Maize Genomics and Genetics, 16(2): 60-69 (doi: 10.5376/mgg.2025.16.0006) Abstract As the core foundation of fresh corn breeding, germplasm resources play a key role in the selection and industrial application of new varieties. This study summarizes the progress of the collection and utilization of fresh corn germplasm resources, focusing on the development of high-quality traits and the screening methods of stress-resistant resources. The study found that the global fresh corn germplasm resources show rich diversity in quality (such as sweetness and stickiness), resistance (such as drought resistance and salt tolerance) and nutritional traits (such as high zinc and high vitamin A). Modern technologies, including molecular marker-assisted selection, genomic selection and CRISPR/Cas9 gene editing technology, have significantly improved the screening efficiency and breeding accuracy of germplasm resources. In addition, the commercial development of local germplasm resources and the promotion of regionally adaptable new varieties have provided successful cases for market demand-oriented breeding. Future research needs to be further deepened in terms of germplasm resource protection, evaluation standardization, technological innovation and international cooperation to achieve sustainable utilization and industrial application of resources. This study provides a comprehensive reference for the development and utilization of fresh corn germplasm resources and points out the direction for breeding work and agricultural development. Keywords Fresh-eating maize; Germplasm resources; Collection and conservation; Modern breeding technologies; Commercial applications 1 Introduction Speaking of corn, it is really a "jack of all trades". In developing countries, it is the main product on the tables of ordinary people and feeds countless people (Nuss and Tanumihardjo, 2010). But you may not know that corn is used for much more than just filling your stomach. It is used to feed livestock and is also indispensable for making biofuels (Ortiz et al., 2010). Interestingly, although developed countries use corn mainly as an industrial raw material, it is still a life-saving food in many places. A study in 2020 pointed out that corn's dual identity makes it particularly important (Palacios-Rojas et al., 2020). To be honest, from farms to factories, to ordinary people's rice bowls, corn is really indispensable. Although there are so many types of crops now, it is rare to find one that can be used as both a food and an economic crop like corn. Corn farmers are having a hard time now. In the past, corn production was mainly based on yield, but now consumers not only care about yield, but also protein content and vitamin nutrition (Palacios-Rojas et al., 2020). This is the case worldwide, and the requirements for corn quality are getting higher and higher (Langyan et al., 2022). But the problem is that corn production is now more troublesome - droughts are common, and pests and diseases are becoming more and more difficult to deal with (Wattoo et al., 2018). Breeding experts are now in a dilemma: on the one hand, they have to improve nutrition, and on the other hand, they have to make corn more disease-resistant and drought-resistant. Although some research has made breakthroughs (Wang et al., 2022), it will probably take a while to breed a perfect new variety. To put it bluntly, germplasm resources are a "gene treasure chest". Although there were studies in 2010 that said they were particularly important (Ortiz et al., 2010), we cannot just keep them and not use them. Now with new tools such as CRISPR (Andorf et al., 2019), breeding is indeed much faster. But then again, the drought and
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