Abstract
Domestication followed by selective breeding made maize an amazing crop, however, it leads to the loss of many allelic forms of those traits which were subjected to intensive selection. Such allelic forms can be recapitulated by domesticating wild alleles to diversify the germplasm and enhance the potential of maize. Teosinte, the wild relative of maize, possesses diverse novel alleles for resistance to abiotic-biotic stresses, yield improvement as well as quality enhancement. Evaluation of teosinte derived maize lines exhibited significant diversification in several agronomical traits, ear and kernel traits, yield, and adaptation. Quantitative trait loci (QTLs)/genes, after several genetical investigations on different beneficial traits, have been mapped using different mapping populations. Gene complexes in teosinte can be a great scientific weapon for agronomical trait improvement as well as increasing the resiliency. Wild relatives being promising genetic resources have not been investigated and validated comprehensively and therefore remained underutilized. In the paper, we have discussed about wild relatives, their status of utilization and prospects in maize improvement.
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