Development of a Mexican corn landrace, Northern Conical, under temperature and rainfall conditions predicted by the middle of this century: an experimental field approach

Background: Corn is the most important crop in Mexico, but it can be affected by climate change. Small farmers from arid and semiarid ecosystems mainly use rainfed native landraces with short productive cycles (less than 90 days), which are adapted to elevated temperatures and intense drought. Among these landraces we can find the Norther Conical corn. Hypothesis: As Northern Conical seems to be adapted to arid agroecosystems, we hypothesize that this corn landrace can tolerate the mid-century climate change conditions. Studied species: Zea mays subsp. mays (Poaceae), Northern Conical landrace. Study site and dates: An abandoned agricultural field in San Luis Potosí, central Mexico, between August and October 2022. Methods: In a field experiment, corn seeds were sowed under the conditions of higher temperature and lower rainfall predicted by the middle of this century (period 2041-2060), as well as under the current climate. Emergence and survival of plants were regularly monitored, and their functional responses were measured by the end of the experiment. Results: Northern Conical plants performed better (in terms of emergence, survival, growth rates, and photosynthetic performance) under higher temperature and lower rainfall, as compared with those developed under the current climate. Conclusions: Our results suggest that the Northern Conical corn landrace may tolerate the increases in aridity expected in the short term. However, simulations under contrasting environmental and ontogenetical conditions are needed. Antecedentes: El maíz es el cultivo más importante en México, pero puede ser afectado negativamente por el cambio climático. Los pequeños agricultores de ecosistemas áridos y semiáridos principalmente emplean razas nativas de temporal con ciclos productivos cortos (menos de 90 días), que están adaptadas a temperaturas elevadas y sequías intensas. Entre estas variedades se encuentra el maíz Cónico Norteño. Hipótesis: Como el Cónico Norteño parece estar adaptado a los agroecosistemas áridos, hipotetizamos que esta raza de maíz puede tolerar las condiciones del cambio climático de mediados de siglo. Especie estudiada: Zea mays subsp. mays (Poaceae), raza Cónico Norteño. Sitio y fechas de estudio: Un campo agrícola abandonado en San Luis Potosí, México central, entre agosto y octubre de 2022. Métodos: En un experimento de campo, se sembraron semillas de maíz bajo las condiciones de mayor temperatura y menor precipitación pronosticadas para mediados