Maize Genomics and Genetics 2025, Vol.16, No.2, 60-69 http://cropscipublisher.com/index.php/mgg 61 disease resistance genes in old varieties are becoming more and more valuable. Although new technologies such as genomic selection are powerful (Wang et al., 2022), without the old varieties as a foundation, the effect will be discounted. In the final analysis, to solve the future food problem, we still have to dig out these old genes and make good use of them. This study mainly talks about the fresh corn germplasm resources. Let's talk about collection and preservation first. The technology has indeed made a lot of progress in recent years. Breeding is also very interesting. Various new tools emerge in an endless stream, which are very helpful in improving corn quality and yield. But having said that, although there have been a lot of progress, we still need to think about how to make good use of these resources. Finally, we will also talk about the future development direction. After all, germplasm resources are not wasted if they are just stored. In the final analysis, the key is to make these good resources truly serve breeding. 2 Types and Distribution of Fresh Corn Germplasm Resources 2.1 Types of germplasm resources There are actually several types of fresh corn, and the ways of eating them are also different. The most special one is sticky corn. After being cooked, the sticky taste is very unique and is particularly popular in China and Southeast Asia (Ruanjaichon et al., 2022). Everyone has eaten ordinary sweet corn, but super sweet corn is even more amazing, with an astonishingly high sugar content (Dong et al., 2019), which is especially popular among sweet lovers. Although they are all fresh corn, the difference is quite obvious - sticky corn wins in taste, while sweet corn and super sweet corn mainly win in sweetness (Dermail et al., 2021). Interestingly, people in different places have different preferences for these corns. Some places like sticky ones, while others like super sweet ones. These types of fresh corn really depend on the occasion. Sticky corn is most suitable for traditional eating, and it is particularly fragrant when simply boiled in water - although the yield may not be as good as other varieties. There are many ways to play with sweet corn and super sweet corn. In addition to eating them directly, it is also common to make them into canned and frozen foods (Dang et al., 2023). But what's interesting is that the study found that not only do they taste good, but even their growth characteristics such as plant height and ear position are different from ordinary corn. This brings up a problem: super sweet corn is sweet enough, but its ability to resist diseases and pests may be worse; although sticky corn has a lower yield, it has a high market acceptance. In the final analysis, which one to choose depends on local conditions and consumer preferences. 2.2 Geographic distribution and diversity The places where fresh corn is grown the most are mainly North America, China and Southeast Asia. North America is particularly interesting, with sweet corn and super sweet corn grown the most, after all, Americans love this, whether they eat it directly or process it into cans. China and Southeast Asia are different, glutinous corn is particularly popular here (Ruanjaichon et al., 2022), which may be related to the local people's love of the sticky taste. But then again, these places actually have a rich variety of corn varieties, including various local varieties and wild species (Dong et al., 2019). Although there are only a few mainstream varieties now, these "local varieties" have a lot of good things hidden in them, which are particularly useful for breeding goals such as disease resistance and increased yield (Dang et al., 2023). Of course, in each specific place, farmers' considerations for seed selection may be different. 2.3 Potential of wild and landrace varieties Those who are engaged in corn breeding know that those inconspicuous local varieties and wild species are actually quite valuable. Although they may not look good, they are indeed resistant to drought and disease (Dong et al., 2019), and can grow well in barren land - the current delicate commercial varieties do not have this ability. Studies have found that these old varieties are particularly rich in genetic diversity (Ruanjaichon et al., 2022), and transferring good genes to modern varieties through hybridization can indeed improve stress resistance. In 2023, experiments confirmed the effectiveness of this method (Dang et al., 2023). However, these resources are becoming increasingly scarce. If they are not protected in time, they may not be found in the future.
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