Analysis of waxy maize germplasm resources in Southwest China based on SNP markers

Waxy maize ( Zea mays L. var. ceratina Kulesh) is an important economic crop in China, most of which are distributed in Southwestern China. In this study, 30 main waxy maize inbred lines in Southwest China were used as materials, and genetic analysis of the tested waxy corn materials was carried out using high-quality single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) marker technology. A total of 15,111 SNPs were obtained from 30 test materials, and the genetic similarity coefficient varied from 0.4568 to 0.9974. The results of population genetic structure and principal component analysis showed that the tested waxy maize materials and the commonly used common maize classification representative inbred lines (B73, ZI330, Mo17, Huangzao 4, etc.) could not be effectively clustered. The 30 waxy corn materials can be divided into five groups separately. The application of the genetic relationship between materials identified by SNP analysis will enable breeders to select different parents to develop high-yield varieties with improved quality traits.