ON FARM” CONSERVATION OF SOME MAIZE RACES IN BUCOVINA

Abstract

Submontane and mountain area is a very heterogeneous eco-geographic space, where maize during about 360 years, underwent an ample diversification process, under the pressure of natural evolution factors and selection carried out by man-forming locale maize populations, genetically distinct and well adapted to local ecological conditions. It is obvious that this long period has favored an active genetic process of population formation, stopped in 1957-1962 by very quick introduction in Romania, of more than 90% of maize cultivated area of corn hybrid seeds [1]. At present people cultivate maize locale landraces only in Submontane and mountain   areas of the Carpathian Mountain countries. These old varieties have some valuable features (e.g. earliness, resistance to cold and prolificacy, high nutritive elements content) [2]. The study of 17 maize accessions coming from Bucovina, for evaluation of genetic erosion level during 30 years, were accomplished,  through utilization of biometrical descriptors. The accession collected in 2002, has the higher values at the descriptors: plant height, insertion height of the main ear, and panicle length then the values of descriptors of the Hanganesc race. The analyzed maize accessions are coming from 4 villages: Brosteni, Vama, Vatra Moldovitei and Frumosu. These villages are situated at very different altitudes, from 529m to 639m. In these locations two races were identified: Hanganesc and Moldovenesc.