Teosinte Distribution in Mexico - CIMMYT: Seeding innovation ...

26 Teosinte distribution in Mexico
(ii) East and southeast of Chapala Lake. East of Lake
Chapala there are three locations: Degollado and
San Jerónimo in Jalisco and El Salitre in
Michoacán; to the southeast is a small
population near Cojumatlán, Michoacán.
(iii) Ameca and Atenguillo River Basins. In the
Atenguillo River Basin in northwest Jalisco, at
Zacatongo, El Tablillo, Llano Grande, La
Ciénaga de los Ahumada, and Guachinango; in
the Ameca River Basin at Oconahua and
Quexpan-Las Raíces, Jalisco, and Amatlán de
Cañas, Nayarit.
(iv) Lagos de Moreno. The last time teosinte was
collected at this location was at the end of the
decade of the 1970s. In 1984 the site was visited
in order to obtain seed for the INIFAP Maize
Germplasm Bank, but without success.
According to the administrators of the Hacienda
La Estancia, teosinte was eliminated by cutting
plants before they reached flowering, an activity
that was carried out for approximately three
years.
JALISCO
Lagos de Moreno
Uruapan
102 o
GUANAJUATO
Pátzcuaro
Celaya
Morelia
MICHOACAN
QUERETARO
100 o
Information from
botanical
gardens and
other sources;
no seed
samples
available.
Mesa central
Chalco
Figure 5. Teosinte distribution in the Bajío region.
21 o
19 o
The rest of the points in Figure 4 correspond to
information from different sources; in no case,
however, has seed been collected or the existence of
the populations been verified.
El Bajío
Located between 19 and 21° N and 100 and 102 W
(Fig. 5) mainly in Guanajuato and Michoacán states,
from 1,500 to 2,000 masl, this area forms part of the
Central Plateau and has a temperate, moderately
rainy climate with annual precipitation from 700 to
1000 mm, a dry, benign winter, average annual
temperatures of 16-22°C, and a hot summer. Climatic
classifications fall within the (A)C(w) and C(w) types.
The region contains numerous valleys (mostly
ancient lakes) separated by high elevation zones.
Teosinte is found predominantly in cultivated maize
fields, and also along stone walls that border some
fields. In the state of Guanajuato (Fig. 6), teosinte
grows in two principal areas: 1) to the northwest at
Manuel Doblado and 2) to the south at Yuriria,
M. Doblado
Guanajuato
Moroleón
QUERETARO
Information
from botanical
gardens and
other sources;
no seed
samples
available.
102 o 100 o
Figure 6. Teosinte distribution in the state of
Queretaro.
21 o
20o Mesa central