Traditional Knowledge, Agave Inaequidens (Koch) Conservation, and the Charro Lariat Artisans of San Miguel Cuyutlán, Mexico

Expression of the 1-SST and 1-FFT genes and consequent fructan accumulation in Agave tequilana and A. inaequidens is differentially induced by diverse (a)biotic-stress related elicitors

“…A significant difference between the two species is that the A. tequilana plants are mostly semi-domesticated elite plants that have been reproduced asexually by means of ramets, rhizomatous shoots or in vitro propagation, whereas A. inaequidens is collected in the wild (Valenzuela-Zapata et al, 2011). Differences were observed in the way the FOS composition of the two species is modified in leaves and/or stems in response to diverse treatments.…”

“…Two outstanding Agave species employed for industrial use in the Mexican state of Jalisco are Agave tequilana and A. inaequidens. The first is used for the production of tequila, a distilled beverage that is known and appreciated world-wide, whereas A. inaequidens, which grows wild in the Western mountainous range of Jalisco, is employed in the manufacture of handcrafted ropes, known as sogas finas or charro lariats, and also for the production of a spirit known as Raicilla, whose consumption has been gradually increasing in the past few years (Valenzuela-Zapata et al, 2011). A salient characteristic in Agave plants is their content of water-soluble carbohydrates (WSC), which can represent up to 80% of the total dry weight (Nobel, 1990).…”

Morphological variation, management and domestication of ‘maguey alto’ (Agave inaequidens) and ‘maguey manso’ (A. hookeri) in Michoacán, México

“…A. inaequidens has the common name of ‘maguey alto’ or ‘maguey bruto’, terms that refer to its size and the caustic condition of its tissue, respectively, because of the presence of saponins and other secondary metabolites causing dermatitis [ 28 ]. Moreover, its fiber has been used in the region of San Miguel Cuyutlán, Jalisco, for the manufacture of ropes or cords used in horsemanship [ 27 ]. In the state of Michoacán (Figure 1 ), it is possible to see this species in a gradient of management intensity with populations in wild habitats as part of natural forests, but also under silvicultural or ‘ in situ ’ management, through which people let some individuals standing when the forest is cleared, and deliberately propagate agaves in the cleared areas in order to increase their population density.…”

“…In central-western Mexico, two closely related agave species: A. inaequidens Koch and A. hookeri Jacobi are widely used, probably since thousands of years ago for extracting the sap ‘agua miel’ to produce ‘pulque’ and other plant parts consumed as food. A. inaequidens is also used for extracting fibre [ 27 ], and according to historical sources, this agave is used for producing mescal from approximately 400 years ago. Our research group has observed in the field different types of management of wild, silvicultural and cultivated populations, which constitute a gradient of management intensity.…”