Morphological variability of native maize (Zea mays L.) of the west highland of Puebla and east highland of Tlaxcala, Mexico

The objective of the present study was to analyze the morphological variability of native maize of the western highlands of Puebla and east of Tlaxcala, Mexico, in order to, in addition to defining it, relate it to races, commercial varieties and the altitude of the localities of collection. The genetic material evaluated were 134 populations collected in 34 localities, in addition to 10 witnesses. The experiments were established in three localities, using a 12 x 12 lattice. A total of 32 variables were evaluated, of which 27 presented highly significant differences, reflecting high variability at the level of morphological characters, many of them of agronomic interest. From the analysis of variance, 16 variables were selected for use in a cluster analysis using the Modified Localization Method, which concentrated the populations in six groups, most of them in group 1, with morphological characteristics of late-cycle varieties: tall plants, with more primary ramifications of the spike, ears of greater length and diameter and with greater length and thickness of grain. The conclusions indicate that the morphological variability of the populations is not associated with the altitude of the localities where they were collected and that these have a greater relationship with the Chalqueno race, little with the Conico race, null with the Conico Norteno and Palomero Toluqueno races and almost null with the commercial varieties.