Caracterização nutricional e avaliação da produtividade de cultivares crioulas de milho

The objective of this work was to identify landrace maize cultivars with high nutritional contents and productivity. Biometric parameters, dry matter, ash, protein, and lipid contents, as well as fatty acid and mineral profiles of 15 landrace maize cultivars, and two improved controls (‘BRS 1002’ and ‘BRS Missoes’) were determined. The maize cultivars were cultivated in the 2010/2011 growing season, in Ibarama, RS, Brazil. The improved maize controls showed similar performance to most landrace cultivars for the biometric parameters; however, ‘BRS 1002’ had the highest productivity. The landrace maize cultivars ‘Cateto Amarelo’, ‘Ferro’, ‘Mato Grosso’, and ‘Cinquentinha’ were more nutritious than the other cultivars. The measuring of the genetic values was effective for the analyzed characteristics in the cultivar grains. The studied cultivars, mainly those with higher-nutrient content, can be used in the food industry for food fortification and oil production.