Abstract

AVENDANO-GOMEZ, Aidé et al. Management and domestication syndromes of capulin (Prunus serotina Ehrh ssp. capuli (Cav.) Mc Vaugh) in communities of the state of Tlaxcala. Agrociencia [online]. 2015, vol.49, n.2, pp.189-204. ISSN 2521-9766.

There are 5000 to 7000 species of plants in Mexico that are domesticated or in some previous stage of evolution. One example is the "capulín" Prunus serótina Ehrh ssp. capuli (Cav.) Mc Vaugh (wild black cherry, mountain black cherry or rum cherry). The capulín has been classified as domesticated, but there are no studies on the mechanisms of selection and intervention that have led to this degree of management. The objective of this study was to describe ethnobotanical aspects related to use, recognition of variation and management to evaluate the effect of these processes on this black cherry. The study was conducted in four communities of the state of Tlaxcala, Mexico, where consumption of capulín seed is documented. Field information was obtained through open and closed interviews and participative observation in 1998, 1999 and 2006-2007. Besides, variation in 32 morphological traits, seed weight and cyanogenic glycoside contents in the seed were measured. The data were analyzed with an ANOVA, principal components analysis and discriminant functions. The results show 1) the uses of the capulín are mainly consumption of the seed and the integration of the fruit tree in agricultural systems such as "metepantles", home gardens and rainfed plots; 2) associated cultural aspects of recognition of seed, tree and fruit variation, as well as the description of the different forms of management and promotion or toleration; 3) a likely domestication process via seed, observed in the significant differences in the characteristics of this structure and in the diverse forms of management: cultivation, promotion and tolerance. The cultivated individuals have larger round seeds with a thicker endocarp, which facilitates the extraction of the edible embryo and a non-significant decrease in cyanogenic glycosides. Finally, the process of domestication was evidenced in its importance for the communities and their organization for exploitation of capulín in that region.

Keywords : Wild black cherry; seed; agroecosystems; management; domestication; ethnobotany.