Avocado
(si gle
a d
halved).
Image
C edit:
Iva
Leidus/Wikipedia
Avocados
g owi g
i
Nica agua
may
ca y
a
ema kable
eco d
of
a cie t
huma
mig atio
ac oss
the
Ame icas.
A
ew
study
published
i
‘Pla ts,
People,
Pla et’
has
fou d
that
seve al
avocado
va ieties
g owi g
i
Nica agua
a e
ge etically
disti ct
f om
the
comme cial
va ieties
commo ly
fou d
today
a d
a e
mo e
closely
elated
to
avocado
populatio s
f om
South
Ame ica.
The
fi di gs
suggest
that
people
may
have
ca ied
avocado
seeds
o thwa ds
f om
South
Ame ica
thousa ds
of
yea s
ago,
helpi g
to
c eate
the
u usual
dive sity
ow
fou d
i
Ce t al
Ame ica.
A
team
of
scie tists
led
by
esea che s
with
the
‘Smithso ia ’s
Natio al
Museum
of
Natu al
Histo y
a d
Texas
A&M
U ive sity’
eached
this
co clusio
by
combi i g
ge etic
a alysis
of
avocado
leaf
samples
with
i fo matio
gathe ed
f om
local
fa me s
a d
ga de e s.
The
study
also
highlights
why
these
t aditio al
avocado
va ieties
could
be
impo ta t
fo
the
futu e
of
ag icultu e.
What
makes
these
Nica agua
avocados
u ique
The
esea che s
fou d
that
Nica agua’s
lowla d
avocados
a e
ge etically
diffe e t
f om
the
comme cial
f uits
that
domi ate
mode
ma kets.
Some
of
the
Nica agua
f uits
ca
look
ema kably
simila
to
la ge,
smooth-ski ed
avocados
g ow
comme cially
i
t opical
egio s,
but
thei
ge etic
histo y
is
diffe e t.
As
pe
the
study,
esea che s
collected
leaf
samples
f om
ative
avocado
la d aces
i
Nica agua,
Ho du as
a d
southe
Mexico.
I
total,
they
obtai ed
DNA
f om
47
ative
la d aces,
i cludi g
32
f om
Nica agua,
a d
compa ed
the
esults
with
ge etic
i fo matio
f om
mo e
tha
200
othe
avocado
li eages.The
compa iso
evealed
a
impo ta t
geog aphical
patte .
Avocados
f om
southe
Mexico
we e
closely
co ected
to
a cest al
highla d
populatio s
i
Mexico
a d
to
comme cial
va ieties.
The
lowla d
Nica agua
avocados,
howeve ,
showed
a
st o ge
ge etic
co ectio
with
populatio s
fa the
south,
i cludi g
those
associated
with
South
Ame ica.
That
diffe e ce
is
sig ifica t
because
appea a ce
alo e
might
suggest
that
the
f uits
belo g
to
simila
g oups.
But
thei
DNA
tells
a
diffe e t
sto y.
F uits
p oduced
by
a
ative
avocado
t ee
g owi g
i
Mexico.
Image
C edit:
Kevi
Wa ,
2024
Missi g
Mig a ts
P oject
How
could
avocados
f om
South
Ame ica
have
eached
Nica agua
The
ge etic
evide ce
poi ts
towa ds
a cie t
huma
moveme t
as
a
possible
expla atio .
The
study
suggests
that
people
mig ati g
o thwa ds
f om
South
Ame ica
may
have
ca ied
avocado
seeds
with
them
thousa ds
of
yea s
ago.
The
esea che s
estimate
that
these
moveme ts
could
have
occu ed
a ou d
5,000
yea s
ago.
As
people
t avelled
th ough
Ce t al
Ame ica,
the
avocado
seeds
they
ca ied
may
have
bee
pla ted
i
ew
e vi o me ts
a d
i te acted
with
local
va ieties.
Ove
ge e atio s,
this
p ocess
helped
p oduce
the
dive se
collectio
of
avocado
la d aces
fou d
i
the
egio
today.This
i te p etatio
also
fits
a
wide
patte
of
pla t
moveme t
ac oss
the
Ame icas.
The
study
poi ts
to
evide ce
fo
the
o thwa d
moveme t
of
othe
South
Ame ica
c ops,
i cludi g
pla ts
such
as
‘cassava’
a d
va ieties
of
‘maize.’
The efo e,
these
fi di gs
p ovide
a othe
i dicatio
that
a cie t
commu ities
we e
movi g
useful
pla ts
ove
co side able
dista ces
a d
i flue ci g
the
la dscapes
i
which
they
lived.
Why
did
esea che s
speak
to
local
fa me s
DNA
was
o ly
pa t
of
the
i vestigatio .
The
esea che s
also
spoke
with
fa me s
a d
ga de e s
i
Nica agua
a d
Ho du as
to
u de sta d
how
local
avocado
va ieties
a e
g ow
a d
mai tai ed.
That
i fo matio
was
impo ta t
because
t aditio al
fa mi g
has
played
a
ole
i
shapi g
these
pla ts
ove
thousa ds
of
yea s.
Fa me s
k ow
which
t ees
su vive
i
pa ticula
co ditio s,
which
f uits
a e
useful
a d
how
diffe e t
va ieties
a e
mai tai ed
o
combi ed.The
local
fa me s
make
good
use
of
the
qualities
of
ative
t ees.
Some
Nica agua
fa me s
g aft
b a ches
f om
comme cial
avocado
va ieties
o to
ative
avocado
t ees,
which
a e
bette
adapted
to
local
co ditio s.
Fa me s
also
epo ted
that
the
lowla d
la d aces
had
ot
expe ie ced
‘ oot
ot,’
desc ibed
i
the
study
as
a
majo
disease
affecti g
comme cial
avocados.This
combi atio
of
scie tific
data
a d
local
k owledge
helped
esea che s
see
the
avocado
dive sity
of
Ce t al
Ame ica
i
a
b oade
way.
I stead
of
t eati g
ag icultu e
a d
biodive sity
as
sepa ate
subjects,
the
study
exami ed
how
the
two
have
i flue ced
o e
a othe .
Could
these
a cie t
va ieties
help
p otect
mode
avocados
Mode
comme cial
avocado
p oductio
elies
heavily
o
a
elatively
small
umbe
of
widely
cultivated
va ieties.
That
limited
ge etic
dive sity
ca
make
c ops
mo e
vul e able
whe
diseases,
cha gi g
tempe atu es
o
shifts
i
ai fall
c eate
ew
challe ges.
The
Nica agua
la d aces
offe
a
much
b oade
ge etic
esou ce.
Because
they
have
bee
cultivated
a d
adapted
to
wa m,
wet
e vi o me ts
fo
ge e atio s,
some
could
co tai
cha acte istics
that
may
be
useful
fo
futu e
avocado
b eedi g.The
study
suggests
that
these
pla ts
could
co t ibute
to
effo ts
to
make
comme cial
avocado
p oductio
mo e
esilie t.
Thei
value
is
ot
ecessa ily
limited
to
the
f uit
they
p oduce
today.
Thei
ge etic
diffe e ces
could
p ovide
t aits
that
b eede s
may
eve tually
use
to
develop
va ieties
bette
suited
to
disease
p essu e
o
cha gi g
e vi o me tal
co ditio s.
Resea che s
have
wa ed,
howeve ,
that
this
dive sity
could
be
lost.
Some
Nica agua
fa me s
have
emoved
t aditio al
avocado
t ees
to
make
oom
fo
comme cial
va ieties.
If
e ough
local
t ees
disappea ,
u ique
ge etic
cha acte istics
that
have
developed
ove
thousa ds
of
yea s
could
disappea
with
them.
Sliced
Avocado.
Image
C edit:
Wikipedia
What
does
the
discove y
eveal
about
the
histo y
of
avocados
The
fi di gs
show
that
the
histo y
of
the
avocado
is
closely
co ected
to
the
histo y
of
people.
The
pla ts
g owi g
i
Nica agua
a e
ot
simply
wild
elatives
o
u usual
ve sio s
of
mode
comme cial
f uit.
Thei
ge etics
may
p ese ve
evide ce
of
a cie t
jou eys,
fa mi g
t aditio s
a d
i te actio s
betwee
people
a d
pla ts.This
study
demo st ates
how
much
ca
be
lea ed
by
combi i g
DNA
evide ce
with
the
k owledge
of
the
people
who
co ti ue
to
g ow
t aditio al
c ops.
I
Nica agua,
t ees
that
may
appea
o di a y
at
fi st
gla ce
a e
ca yi g
ge etic
clues
to
moveme ts
that
happe ed
thousa ds
of
yea s
ago.
Fo
mode
ag icultu e,
those
t ees
may
hold
a othe
ki d
of
histo y,
o e
that
could
help
p otect
the
avocado
f om
futu e
th eats.
P ese vi g
the
dive sity
c eated
by
a cie t
fa me s
could
the efo e
become
a
impo ta t
pa t
of
keepi g
the
f uit
esilie t
fo
ge e atio s
to
come.
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