Table 1.
Examples of Mexican plants under domestication and their documented trends in changes resulting from artificial selection
| Species (Family) | Common name | Life form | Plant part used | Character | Selection trend | References |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Agave spp. (Agavaceae) |
Sisal |
Perennial herb |
Fibers |
Plant size |
Larger Greater |
[71,84] |
| |
|
|
|
Leave’s |
length and width |
|
| |
|
|
|
Teeth |
Less abundant |
|
| |
|
|
|
Plant’s size and vigor |
Greater |
|
| |
|
Pulque |
Sap |
|
|
|
|
Annanas comosus L. merr. (Bromeliaceae) |
Pineapple |
c |
Aggregated fruit |
Seeds |
Seedless fruits |
[85] |
| |
|
|
|
Taste, juiciness, color |
Increasing sweet-tasting |
|
|
Bactris gasipaes (Arecaeae) |
Pejibaye |
Palm |
Palm heart, |
Fruit size |
Increasing fruit size |
[11,85-87] |
| |
|
|
Fruit |
Water content |
Less |
|
| |
|
|
|
Firmness |
Less |
|
| |
|
|
|
Pulp fibrousness |
Less |
|
| |
|
|
|
Spines |
Spineless or spines. Peach palms with spines used because their high-yielding and reasonably disease resistant |
|
|
Byrsonima crassifolia (L.) Kunth (Malpighiaceae) |
Nance |
Perennial tree |
Fruits |
Fruit size |
Larger fruits |
[42] |
| |
|
|
|
Pulp flavor |
Sweeter |
|
| |
|
|
|
Seed weigh |
Lighter |
|
|
Jacaratia mexicana A. DC. (Caricaceae) |
Bonete |
Tree |
Fruit |
Size |
Larger |
[88,89] |
| |
|
|
|
Pulp flavor |
Sweeter |
|
| |
|
|
|
Pulp quantity |
Greater |
|
|
Opuntia ficus-indica (L.) Mill (Cactaceae) |
Prickly pear |
Cacti |
Cladode (stem) |
Spines |
Less abundant |
[89-92] |
| |
|
|
|
Thickness |
Less |
|
| |
|
|
|
Mucilage |
Less abundant |
|
| |
|
|
|
Vessel fibrosity |
Less |
|
| |
|
|
|
Oxidation rate |
Less |
|
| |
|
|
|
Size |
Smaller |
|
| |
|
|
|
Glochids |
Absent |
|
| |
|
|
|
Fruit |
Smaller, less sweet |
|
| |
|
|
Fruit |
|
|
|
| |
|
|
(tuna) |
Cladode size |
|
|
| |
|
|
|
Fruiting period |
Larger Earlier in the year Younge |
|
| |
|
|
|
Reproductive age Glochids |
Abundant |
|
| |
|
|
|
Seeds |
Abundant |
|
| |
|
|
Fruit (xoconostle) |
|
|
|
| |
|
|
|
Fruit size |
Larger |
|
| |
|
|
|
Peel/pulp rate |
Higher |
|
|
Pachyrhizus erosus L. (Fabaceae) |
Yam bean |
Herbaceous vine |
Tuberous root |
Peel thickness |
Reduce peel thickness |
[93] |
| |
|
|
|
Peel color |
Favoring dark and white peel |
|
| |
|
|
|
Tuberous root size |
Increasing tuber size |
|
|
Persea americana L. (Lauraceae) |
Avocado |
Tree |
Fruit |
Size |
Larger Thicker (var. Hass) |
[85,94] |
| Peel | ||||||
|
Sechium edule Sw. (Cucurbitaceae) |
Chayote |
Vine |
Fruit |
Pulp flavor |
Less sour |
[95] |
| |
|
|
|
Fibrosity |
Less |
|
| |
|
|
|
Germination |
In the tree (viviparism) |
|
|
Spondias purpurea L. (Anacardiaceae) |
Jocote |
Tree |
Fruit |
Size |
Larger Other than red |
[96] |
| |
|
|
|
Color |
Less |
|
| |
|
|
|
Sourness |
More abundant |
|
| |
|
|
|
Pulp |
|
|
| Vanilla planifolia Jack ex Andr. (Orchidaceae) | Vanilla | Vine, perennial climbing herb | Pods | Productivity | Higher flowering thus a major production of pods | [97] |