Ethnobotanical, morphological, phytochemical and molecular evidence for the incipient domestication of Epazote (Chenopodium ambrosioides L.: Chenopodiaceae) in a semi-arid region of Mexico

Abstract

Use and management of wild and weedy species may involve artificial selection, which can determine morphological, physiological, reproductive, and genetic divergences between wild and managed populations, resulting in the initial or incipient phases of plant domestication. In this study we combined ethnobotanical, morphological, phytochemical and genetic information for analyzing differences between managed and unmanaged populations of the Mexican edible weed, Epazote (Chenopodium ambrosioides L.), in Santa María Tecomavaca, Oaxaca, a rural community within the Tehuacán-Cuicatlán Biosphere Reserve, Mexico. Our hypothesis was that differences in morphology (e.g. leave dimensions and density of pubescence), phytochemistry (e.g. flavor, odor, and amount of strong scented and toxic compounds) and/or molecular genetic markers, between managed and wild populations of Epazote in Santa María Tecomavaca, would indicate that managed populations have been and/or are under a process of incipient domestication. Our results revealed the existence in the study area of morphological variants associated with a gradient of management intensity, which involved apparent improved palatability correlated with a lowering of chemical defense. Most remarkably, we found agreement in the groupings defined by the cluster analyses of morphological and genetic data. Although Epazote is considered a weed or, at best, a minor crop, the results from four lines of evidence (cultural differentiation patterns, gigantism, reduction in chemical defenses, toxic compounds and inheritance of adaptive traits) suggest the existence of an incipient domestication process in the study zone.

Complex tritrophic interactions in response to crop domestication: predictions from the wild

“…Our findings raise an important question for sustainable agriculture: How can we maximize food production and at the same time select for resistance to insect pests? Crop domestication activities are still ongoing around the world (Casas et al, 2007;Blanckaert et al, 2011;Bost, 2013), and there are many breeding efforts to counter the losses in natural resistance traits or traits incurred during domestication (Degenhardt et al, 2009;Tamiru et al, 2011;Blair & Izquierdo, 2012;Bleeker et al, 2012). We believe that crop domestication is a transformative process that fundamentally alters interactions between plants, herbivores, and their natural enemies.…”

Crop Domestication and Its Impact on Naturally Selected Trophic Interactions

“…In Mesoamerica, for example, some ethnic groups use 5,000 to 7,000 plant species, many of which have been described to be in an incipient state of domestication (24). Within these centers, varying management intensities in different localities may cause the same species to display wide variation in morphological and chemical traits such as the loss of chemical resistance (12). However as Thrall et al (142) state, spatiotemporal patterns, plant population sizes, plant isolation and dispersal, and genetic variation likely differ, for both the plants and associated species, between native ecosystems and agroecosystems.…”

Antimicrobial Effect of Silk and Catgut Suture Threads Coated with Biogenic Silver Nanoparticles

“…The synthesis of Ag NPs by eco-friendly agents represents an environmental and economically sustainable biological method that minimizes the costs and provides the benefits and properties of native plants and herbs such as Chenopodium ambrosioides. We have studied that there is huge potential of Mexican medicinal plants [36], among them, Chenopodium ambrosioides (Mexican Epazote) has been utilized in traditional cuisine and folk medicine since ancient times [18], it has demonstrated diverse pharmacological applications, it is also useful for healing of skin ulceration, and shows anti-inflammatory and antitumor properties [19,37]. It is difficult to assign a single component of being responsible for the bioreduction; however, it is considered that the main chemical constituents involved in this process are mainly monoterpenoids, sesquiterpenoids, and flavonoids, among others [38].…”

“…Chenopodium ambrosiodes (Mexican Epazote) is native to the Mesoamerican region, belongs to the Chenopodiaceae family. It has been utilized in traditional cuisine and folk medicine [18]. Epazote is an aromatic herb, which has diverse pharmacological applications in the treatment of influenza, cold and respiratory ailments, [19], it has been widely used as vomiting and antihelmintic [20], also in gastrointestinal problems and worms [21], and healing of skin ulceration, and anti-inflammatory and antitumor properties.…”