Abstract

YANEZ-LOPEZ, María de L. et al. Genetic relationships between varieties of Stenocereus pruinosus (Cactaceae) in the states of Puebla and Oaxaca, Mexico, by means of AFLP markers. Agrociencia [online]. 2016, vol.50, n.5, pp.595-601. ISSN 2521-9766.

Pitaya de mayo, Stenocereus pruinosus (Otto) Buxbaum (Cactaceae), is a horticultural produce with great importance in the Mixteca region (Sowthwestern Puebla and Northeastern Oaxaca, México) and is gaining international attention for its sweet and fresh flavor; accordingly, many different cultivars or varieties were developed. In this study we used AFLP molecular markers with the objective of analyzing the genetic relationships between six varieties. Stenocereus stellatus (Pfeiffer) Ricobono variety was considered as outgroup, and the putative hybrid from these two species, San Gabriel, was grown in 12 plots of clonal reproduced plants at Tehuacán-Cuicatlán Region in Mexico. Results showed many polymorphisms, and similarity indexes fluctuated between 0.24 and 0.60. Samples were grouped according to the collecting site and independent from the studied variety, which might be explained by the traditional handling that growers give to this species in the region.

Keywords : Columnar cactus; intraspecific variability; pitaya; Stenocereus stellatus; traditional handling.