DNA analyses reveal high heterozygosity values and low differentiation among populations of mezcal-producing Agave durangensis

Mezcal is a distilled alcoholic beverage made from different species of agaves. In the state of Durango (Mexico) mezcal production depends on Agave durangensis or “maguey cenizo”. This process of distillation of fermented juices, regulated since 1994, remains artisanal, supporting the economy of several families in the state, although, recently, several companies have emerged with industrial processes. Due to the increase in both national and international mezcal demand, natural populations of this species are threatened as well as their ecosystem in which a balanced plant-human interaction has been established for centuries. In this work, the genetic diversity and structure of four A. durangensis populations in the most important mezcal producing municipalities of Durango, are analysed with 10 nuclear simple sequence repeat (SSR) loci. Results show high heterozygosity levels in equilibrium and no defined structure between populations, which could be reflecting the conservation status of these population before the Mezcal Denomination of Origin was established.