Félix Alberto Guzmán

Agrosavia

In this paper, we first present a brief update on the progress made in using genetic characterization to guide decision making for several conservation activities. Next, we focus on the attractive prospects offered by molecular characterization to enhance germplasm use, which is the ultimate purpose of conserving diversity of genetic resources.

The genetic diversity of 74 chili pepper accessions (Capsicum spp.) was evaluated with amplified fragment length polymorphisms (AFLPs). Thirty-four accessions were collected from home gardens throughout the Department of Alta Verapaz, Guatemala. The remaining accessions were selected from the national ex situ germplasm collection representing the d...

The genetic diversity of 76 accessions of lima bean (Phaseolus lunatus L.), collected mostly from home gardens, was assessed with AFLPs and seed descriptors to evaluate the potential for recovering a lost ex situ collection in Cuba. The sample contained 60 accessions collected from 25 home gardens in the three main geographical regions of Cuba and...

The fruits of chili pepper (genus Capsicum) are much prized in cooking throughout the world due to their characteristic pungency. Thanks to this economic importance, many aspects of Capsicum have been relatively well studied; however, the relationships among Capsicum species and between it and its sister genus Lycianthes have remained enigmatic. A...

Black cherry (Prunus serotina) is a fruit tree native to North America, and almost all parts of this plant have some use. This species is a complex of five subspecies with morphological differences and distinctive habitats. The genetic structure of 18 natural populations of black cherry was evaluated with 16 microsatellite markers. One hundred sixt...

The cacao (Theobroma cacao L.) crop for the department of Nariño represents a productive alternative to the substitution of illicit crops, on which small and medium producers depend; nevertheless, high relative humidity, temperature, and rainfall, as well as inadequate phytosanitary management, cause a high incidence of diseases such as Moniliophth...

The palm weevils Rhynchophorus palmarum and Dynamis borassi are prominent pest species in peach palms and coconut in Colombia. Nevertheless, knowledge of the population dynamics of these weevil species in the neotropical region is still scarce. In this study, we systematically sampled these weevils over 2 years using pheromone traps (1 trap ha⁻¹) i...

Capsicum species are of great economic, medicinal, culinary and cultural value worldwide, however their genetic potential is still underutilized. In this study, a set of 21 microsatellite markers showed utility for distinguishing a diverse group of 42 Capsicum genotypes representing 11 species. The level of polymorphism among these genotypes was ev...

El capulín (Prunus serotina Ehrh.) es un árbol nativo de Norteamérica y casi todas sus partes tienen algún uso potencial. Esta especie conforma un complejo botánico de cinco subespecies morfológicamente distintas que crecen en hábitats diversos. Varios aspectos biológicos del capulín son tema de debate o han sido poco estudiados, dificultando la to...

Black cherries are native to North America and make up a complex of five morphologically different subspecies growing in significantly different niches. This study used 474 presence points, 19 climate parameters and altitude to: (1) describe climatic preference of subspecies, (2) associate the most discriminant bioclimatic variables with variation...

Black cherry (Prunus serotina Ehrh.) is a native North American plant species. It includes five subspecies and is currently invasive in Europe. Since pre-Hispanic times, black cherry has been known and used by American inhabitants, and its botanical use was reported in the 19th century. The present study describes the taxonomic richness and taxonom...

The capulín (Prunus serotina ssp. capuli (Cav.) McVough 1951) is a subspecies of P. serotina Ehrh. of Mesoamerican origin used mainly as fruit. Although from the 80's there were reports of a collection of capulín from central Mexico, called San Martín, which showed compatibility with the cherry tree (Prunus avium L.) possibly because it was a diplo...

The fungus Colletotrichum kahawae Bridge & Waller causes Coffee Berry Disease (CBD) on Coffea arabica L., and attacks from flowers up to ripen fruits. However, severe yield losses occur after green berries are affected, due to its premature dropping and mummification. In African coffee producer’s countries, this disease may cause up to 50% of yield...

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Conservation of genetic variability and integrity of seed accessions is one of the major duties of genebanks. This is particularly relevant for wild forms the interest of which often lies in their higher genetic diversity as compared to cultivated forms that might have suffered founder effects during domestication (Debouck 1999). Seed multiplicatio...

A population of wild common bean was evaluated in three contrasting environments and in the laboratory. The biochemical analysis and the evaluation in the field taught that to control genetic erosion during the typical activities of a germplasm bank they should be considered factors like: place of multiplication, the population´s size, differential...