Traditional management of a small-scale crop of Physalis angulata in Western Mexico

Centers of origin of agriculture and domestication have significantly contributed to the evolution of landraces, based on a long history of use and management of both wild and crop species. Our study examines Physalis angulata , an emerging horticultural crop in western Mexico. This wild and weedy species was adopted as an alternative crop to P. philadelphica for producing husk tomato. We investigated: (1) the antiquity of use of this species as a crop and the origin of the cultivated germplasm, (2) the criteria for selection and cultivation techniques and (3) its horticultural value. We conducted field trips to the husk tomato-producing areas of Cuquío and Ixtlahuacán, Jalisco to identify the producers who grow it. We used participant observation, open interviews and semi-structured surveys with producers in order to document ethnobotanical knowledge, plant management and agronomical issues. We found that P. angulata is cultivated in 80 % of the visited plots; the producers report that it has been actively cultivated for 25 years. With the available information, the origin of the cultivated germplasm has not been accurately determined; however, some locations in Michoacán and Cuquío in Jalisco could be putative areas of origin. The crop was introduced by the commercial demand for “milpero” a kind of husk tomato of small fruit and high commercial value. It is established in 0.5 ha monoculture plots. Its small-scale cultivation favors greater yields. The cultivation of P. angulata could be promoted in other tropical and temperate areas of the Americas as a new crop of Solanaceae; their self-compatibility, synanthropy, high yield and compact canopy could be of commercial interest to husk tomato producers.