Collection and rescues of the local knowledge of native cottons in the coasts of the states Falcon and Aragua, Venezuela

Abstract

To rescuing the genetic variability of the genus Gossypium in Venezuela, two collection expeditions were carried out on the  Falcon and Aragua States, a coastal areas of Venezuela. Twenty three (23) native cotton of subspontaneous growth were collected. For the botanical classification the descriptors leaf color, the number of lobes, leaf form, petal color, presence of petal spot (purple spot in the base of the petals), length of the stigma, sensibility to the photoperiod, fiber, and linter color were used.  The gathered information allowed to conclude that the ‘Pajarito’ cotton has been present in a wild state from remote times, for three or more generations, and that they have always been used for spinning and handmade-fabric elaboration. The inhabitants affirmed that these plants have never been cultivated but rather grow spontaneously. It is assumed that either they are native of this area or the seed entered through the sea by the north of Venezuela. The collected cotton have characteristics such as petal spot (ranging from very marked until light spotted petals), stigma (from markedly prominent to prominent) and small fruits with three to four locules. Materials were bushy with rounded and cylindrical architecture. Materials collected in Falcon State were classified as Gossypium barbadense and G. hirsutum race Marie Galant and one of the materials collected in Aragua State was classified as G. purpurascens.