CONSERVATION OF THE ABAL (Spondias purpurea L.) AND ITS WILD RELATIVES IN THE YUCATÁN PENINSULA

Abstract

Abal derives from the Mayan language and means plum tree; all the types of abales correspond to the
species Spondias purpurea L. as many domesticated plants, the abales are essential in the development of peasant families and cover different biological and cultural needs. This species, in their domesticated
form, has been conserved by the Mayans in the Yucatán Peninsula in family gardens and commercial
plots. The wild relatives are present, both in grasses and in forests that are part of the biocultural
heritage of Yucatec Mayas. Information regarding trade of abales was documented; studies about biological and genetic diversity of Yucatec abales show that despite having two genetic lineages present in the province, the diversity in the morphology of fruits, leaves, flowers and phenology of the cultivated forms is quite variable, explained by the selection of polyploid cultivars by inhabitants, who propagate this
crop clonally through cuttings. It is concluded that family gardens are a reservoir of genetic diversity and of in circa situm conservation, where directed selection has conserved unique phenotypical cultivars that
differ in shape, color, taste and size of the fruit, time of fructification and level of ploidy. The populations of wild relatives are at risk and it is important to characterize and evaluate them. The presence of the working collection of the SNICS-SINAREFI plum network in the Yucatán Peninsula represents an opportunity to develop studies that are the base for planning the conservation and plant improvement strategies for Spondias purpurea.