The status of the arbuscular mycorrhizal association in wild Agave potatorum Zucc. was studied at three semiarid sites over a 1‐year period of rhizospheric soil sampling. Root colonization present at all sites and at all times of year, ranged from 20 to 83 %. The extraradical mycelia length was estimated to be from 2.64 to 5.22 m g−1 of dry soil. Spore number ranged from 20 to 192 in 100 g of soil. The number of viable mycorrhizal propagules ranged from 500 to 2,640 in 100 g of soil. Twenty species of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) were identified, the family Glomeracea comprising the greatest number of species (45 %). Two other fungi families Acaulosporaceae and Gigasporaceae made up 35 and 15 %, respectively. High alpha diversity and low beta diversity of AMF were found in this study. Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi species richness in A. potatorum is high and the associated fungi appear to be an important component in semiarid ecosystems in this region of Mexico. Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi species with small spores might be better adapted to the local environment.

Phenotypic characteristics are important to identify species and provide valuable information for the uses in plant breeding. The aim of this study was to characterize through morphological traits the genetic diversity of the Agave genus under wild and semi-wild culture conditions in Maguey Largo region in Oaxaca, Mexico. Through field trips, eleven morphological characteristics of the Agave species were recorded. Principal component analysis (PCA), phylogenetic trees, and correlation analyses, were performed. Seven wild species were identified: Agave potatorum Zucc., A. seemanniana, A. nussaviorum subsp. nussaviorum, A. angustifolia Haw., A. marmorata Roezl., A. karwinskii Zucc. and A. americana var. Americana. Also, a semiwild unclassified specie Agave sp. was found. The values of the first four principal components in the PCA explain more than 89% of the total morphological variance. The dendrogram of the agglomerative hierarchical clustering (AHC) shown a high similarity between the species and divide them in two main cluster with one unassociated specie (A. karwinskii Miahuatlán shape). Following the different analyses done, we observed a very close relationship between A. potatorum and A. nussaviorum, and dissociated from A. seemanniana, which are belonging to the "Tobala" complex and never described before. The results obtained in this work suggest a great genetic diversity expressed in a wide morphological variety of agaves in Oaxaca; which can be used in futures molecular studies.