The southwestern United States–northern Mexico Borderland Region (SW) is an arid to semi-arid region characterized by high temperatures, drought, and frequently saline soil conditions. Nonetheless, maize (Zea mays) has been cultivated in the region for several millennia and recently has increasingly contributed to a growing dairy industry. Water resources are declining, and saline or brackish irrigation water is an increasing problem in the SW. Irrigation water that is highly saline can cause a buildup of salts in the soil. Adapted SW maize germplasm may offer stress tolerance that could be incorporated into breeding programs. The objective of this study was to evaluate 13 maize cultivars and compare them to four commercial hybrids across 2 yr and three locations in New Mexico. Two of the locations were characterized by saline and/or brackish conditions. Agronomic factors including forage yield, forage quality, survival rates, and plant height were examined. The landrace ‘Mexican June’ and the synthetic population Arizona 8601 demonstrated good forage yields and higher survival rates at one stress location during 2016 (p < .05). Most southwestern landraces showed lower forage quality when compared to silage-specific commercial hybrids. The landrace ‘Montgomery County Blue and White’ was an exception; it produced forage quality similar to that of one of the commercial hybrids while also producing comparable yield. Results indicate there is potential for further development of these genetic resources for selection of improved salinity tolerance in forage maize for production in semi-arid regions.

中文翻译：

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西南适应玉米种质作为耐盐品种选择的潜在遗传资源

美国西南部 - 墨西哥北部边境地区 (SW) 是一个干旱至半干旱地区，其特点是高温、干旱和经常盐碱化的土壤条件。尽管如此，玉米（Zea mays) 已经在该地区种植了数千年，并且最近对不断发展的乳制品行业做出了越来越大的贡献。水资源正在减少，咸水或微咸水灌溉水是西南地区日益严重的问题。高盐度的灌溉水会导致土壤中盐分的积累。适应的 SW 玉米种质可以提供可以纳入育种计划的抗逆性。本研究的目的是评估 13 个玉米品种，并将它们与新墨西哥州 2 年和三个地点的四个商业杂交品种进行比较。其中两个地点的特点是盐水和/或微咸水条件。农艺因素包括草料产量、草料质量、成活率和株高。p  < .05)。与青贮专用商业杂交种相比，大多数西南地方品种的草料质量较低。地方品种“蒙哥马利郡蓝白”是个例外。它生产的草料质量与其中一种商业杂交种相似，同时也产生了可比的产量。结果表明，这些遗传资源有进一步开发的潜力，用于选择半干旱地区生产的饲草玉米耐盐性得到改善。