and Bioenergy Workshop, may 12-13 2010, CUCEA UDG Guadalajara Energy Biosciences Institute

Landraces of 's : fibres, sugars and tequila

Ana G. Valenzuela-Zapata Universidad de Guadalajara CUCIENEGA Postdoctoral researcher Ghent University-ITESO Agave diversity

• Low diversity - Industrialised agriculture-

blue agave

• High diversity in farmers- in situ

conservation landraces

• Ex situ conservation Low diversity in blue agave plantations Production systems of agave

Traditions and conservation in situ A sample of agave species in Europe

La Mortola Italy Cordoba Spain

Geneve, Suisse Strasbourg Fr 1985

• Low diversity-high pressure: industrial agriculture • High diversity-low pressure: traditional farmers From the agave symposium 1985 Tequila Agave Group TAG sensu Pérez, 1887

1. Azul Agave tequilana Weber 2. Sigüín 3. Criollo o pata de mula 4. Zopilote 5. Moraleño 6. Bermejo 7. Chato • Mano larga-mano anchaque • Cucharo definitions

Cultivate: a cultivated plant with known wild ancestors.

Cultigen: a plant known to exist only in cultivation. Gentry, 1982 Methods

• References: Trelease, 1920 Gentry, 1982 but also Colunga-GarciaMarín and Hogdson, Nobel, Nabhan, Garcia-Moya, Illsey, Larson, Eguiarte, Garcia and more! • Agave growers interviews • Searching and Collecting plants • Planting and propagating species for to have more materials • Specimens preparation • Measurements in fresh plants • Vouchers in herbarium Results

Two groups of plants

1. Tequilana’s Group sensu Valenzuela Agave tequilana W (azul) or A. angustifolia ssp tequilana

Cv azul, siguin, criollo o pata de mula and variegata

2. Others

A. subtilis cv “chato or sahuayo” B. Cultigens “moraleño” and “bermejo” from Sisalana group C. A. rhodacantha cv “zopilote” (flowering in 2008) Tequila Agave Group TAG sensu Pérez, 1887

• 1997 agave collection 1. Azul Agave tequilana Weber 2. Sigüín • Criollo o pata de mula • Zopilote 3. Moraleño 4. Bermejo 5. Chato – Mano larga-mano anchaque – Cucharo Results

A. angustifolia ssp tequilana Sisalanae A. americana subtilis A. angustifolia ssp tequilana

Azul Siguin

Moraleño Sisalanae

Chato A. americana subtilis

Bermejo Sisalanae • Sisalana group’s cultivars inhibited tequila fermentation

• Hard fibres of A. americana subtilis (chato) caused mechanical problems in tequila production

• The tequila agave group, related to blue agave, also had less fibres and a short flowering cycle A. angustifolia ssp. tequilana cv. sigüín A. angustifolia ssp. tequilana cv. pes-mulae A. angustifolia ssp tequilana variegata Agave angustifolia ssp. tequilana cv azul • Perhaps the origin of the cultivars were in situ with 4 landraces found. Tequilana’s flowers group

Azul Azul variegata Siguin Pata de mula A. americana L. cv. Subtilis (chato or sahuayo) Sisalanae cv or cultigen? moraleño

Moraleño Pata de mula Sisalanae cultivar or cultigen? bermejo Agave rhodacantha Trel 2008 cv. zopilote

1997 Conclusions in TAG Selection pressure

• XIX century, for Masal Clonal selection selection tequila had low selection

pressure Species • Tequila production used

traditional methods

Intra-specie • Sisalana group’s and other Agave tequilana Inter-species agave cultivars were grown

in the same plots Variability High selection pressure

• Tequila laws only allowed the use of blue agave in the 1970’s,

so the selection pressure changed and other landraces were no

longer cultivated.

• The prohibition of landraces in tequila production negatively

influenced the traditional knowledge and conservation of

agave plants in the Tequila region by growers.

• Some authors have declared the genetic erosion in A. tequilana

to be one of the most important studied in crops. Agave plants are not included as biofuels crops

• SEMARNAT, 2008 • FAO, 2008 Challenge in agave production

Sustainable agriculture

•Economy •Social •Environment Papers sustainable agriculture in blue agave

1. Les appellations d’origine et les durabilités socio-économique et écologique : le cas de la tequila au Mexique (Bowen and Valenzuela, 2008) 2. Geographical Indications, terroir and socioeconomic and ecological sustainability: the case of tequila (Bowen and Valenzuela, 2009) 3. Isolation and characterization of Ty1-copia retrotransposon sequences in the blue agave (Agave tequilana Weber var. azul) and their development as SSAP markers for phylogenetic analysis (Bousios A., Saldana- Oyarzabal I., Valenzuela- Zapata A.G. y Word C. y Pearce S.R. 2007 4. Effects of soil management practices on soil fertility measurements on Agave tequilana plantations in Western Central (GOBEILLE Alayne ; YAVITT Joseph ; STALCUP Philip; VALENZUELA Ana. 2006. One of the Policies dilemma about biofuels in Latin America

The compatibility between:

• the international competitiveness of agro-fuels and a

• socially inclusive and • Environmentally sustainable rural development agenda Llambí, 2009 Thanks to my family, teachers and friends