Background:

The impact of plant management in an in situ - ex situ gradient, varies according to ecological, socioeconomic, cultural, and technological factors. Management may result in a divergence between wild and cultivated species, suggesting an incipient domestication.

Questions and / or Hypotheses:

We expected to find higher levels of leaf production and differences in essential oil characteristics in home-gardens and cultivated plots, which are systems with a more intensive management.

Studied species / data description /Mathematical model:

Lippia origanoides Kunth

Study site and dates:

natural vegetation, home-gardens and cultivated plots in Northwest Yucatan. 2018-2019.

Methods:

In four localities oregano management practices were documented in natural vegetation, home-gardens and cultivated plots. At each locality, in the three management systems, eight individuals of oregano were selected. ANOVAs were performed to evaluate the main effects and interaction among management systems and localities over leaf production, management intensity, and the quality and quantity of oil.

Results:

23 % of the homes were found to manage oregano, generally in a combination of two or three management systems. Leaf production was three times greater in the cultivated plots, than in home-gardens and natural vegetation. There was no significant effect regarding management system over the yield of essential oils nor the carvacrol concentration. Most interviewees did not perceive intraspecific variability regarding the aroma of oregano.

Conclusions:

In situ individual selection for transplant is a management practice that, together with irrigation and other practices, could explain differences in leaf production, suggesting a process of incipient domestication of oregano.