Resumen

HERNANDEZ-MONTES, Fernanda Sarahí et al. Genetic diversity analysis in cocoa (Theobroma cacao L.) and pataxte (T. bicolor Humb. & Bonpl.) from Tabasco and Chiapas, Mexico. Polibotánica [online]. 2026, n.61, pp.295-310.  Epub 18-Mayo-2026. ISSN 1405-2768.  https://doi.org/10.18387/polibotanica.61.17.

Cacao (Theobroma cacao L.), along with pataxte (T. bicolor Humb. & Bonpl), are two cultivated species of agricultural importance. Both grow together on plantations in the states of Tabasco and Chiapas in southern Mexico. The two species share some phenotypic and perhaps genotypic similarity, but little research has been conducted to study the genetic relationship that may exist between them. Therefore, and given the importance of both species in the south-southeast of Mexico, the objective of this study was to analyze the genetic diversity between both species of cacao and pataxte in southern Mexico. To this end, 56 accessions were collected, belonging to five genetic groups of cacao (Guayaquil, Criollo, Calabacillo, Patastillo, and Guayaquil Rojo) and one of Pataxte. DNA purification was performed to amplify four microsatellite markers, two of which (mTcCIR11 and mTcCIR12) have been reported to be informative in cacao genetic diversity studies. Diversity analyses were used to estimate the total number of alleles per locus (Na), the effective number of alleles (Ne), the observed (Ho) and expected (He) heterozygosity, and the inbreeding coefficient (FIT). The allelic range observed in mTcCIR11 was 121-313 bp, and in mTcCIR12 was 190-232 bp. Na = 6.50 was found for each marker, with Ne for Guayaquil = 4.00, Criollo = 2.00, Calabacillo = 2.50, Patastillo = 3.00, Guayaquil Rojo = 1.75, and Pataxte = 3.00. Ho was lower than He for all study varieties. The AMOVA showed a variation of 1% between populations, 85% between individuals, and 14% between individuals within populations.

Palabras llave : Cocoa; genetic diversity; germplasm; molecular markers; pataxte.

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