Abstract
In order to classify and order the fruit morphological variation of 31 cultivated variants of [Stenocereus pruinosus (Otto) Buxb.], identified by more than 20 informants from the Mixteca Baja region of Mexico, 19 morphological attributes were measured on 200 fruits (2-10 fruits per variant). Data were analyzed using means comparison, cluster and principal components analysis. Informants identified the variants by color, size and shape of fruits; size and color of spines; size and number of seeds; sweetness, flavor and production season. Although five attributes (peer thickness, number of areoles, thickness and width of seed; weight relation between flesh and peer) were statistically similar between variants, the multivariate analysis supports 16 for the characterization of variants. The first three principal components (CP) explained 60 % of the variation and ordered the variants by size and weight of fruit and size of seed and spine (CP1), color of flesh and peer (CP2), and fruit roundness (CP3). A consistent classification with these analysis defines nine groups, one of which is a putative interspecific hybrid. The traditional classification is confirmed by statistical analysis.
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