Morphological variation of Opuntia (CACTACEAE) in connection with its domestication in Meridional Highland plateau of Mexico [Variación morfológica de Opuntia (CACTACEAE) en relación con su domesticación en la altiplanicie Meridional de México]

In the Meridional Highland of Mexico is located 35%25 of the Mexican species of Opuntia and some 144 variants, with different grade of humanizatian that they are used by their cladode for forage, nopalitos like greenness and their fruits. With the purpose of contributing to elucidate the taxonomy of the genus and the process of their domestication, 42 morphological attributes of developed cladodios, nopalitos and fruits were analyzed, of 243 variants of Opuntia, gathered in 31 localities of seven states of the Meridional Highland of Mexico. The first ordination axis corresponded to domestication gradient toward plants with large fruits and cladodes without thorns; the second ordination axis showed another domestication tendency toward plants, also with large fruits, but with cladodes with prominent thorns. The third ordination axis stood out two tendencies opposed in the variants less humanized, characterized by attributes probably more related with the natural selection. En the clasification 76 groups were obtained. The most important attributes for the classification were the quantity of radial thorns and the number of thorns for areole in the cladodes, and the color and weight of the pulp of the fruits. The classification reveals the elements of the syndrome of domestication of Opuntia for fruit; the weight of the pulp of the fruit appears as the main component, seconded by the characteristics of the areolas and thorns, and then for the longitude and color of the fruit.

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