Table 3 Vegetative morphological characteristics and genetic diversity of the seven traditional varieties of agaves, identified by producers in the localities of Santiago Undameo and Tarímbaro, Michoacán

General plant lenght (GPL)

209.18 ± 4.12a

214.17 ± 5.87a

269.00 ± 11.00ab

274.68 ± 4.31b

238.00 ± 12.00ab

167.00 ± 13.00a

218.00 ± 10.17ab

0.264

0.115

Stem lenght (SL)

74.06 ± 3.63a

80.44 ± 3.67ab

67.50 ± 2.50abc

66.00 ± 2.36bc

55.00 ± 7.00abc

50.50 ± 5.50abc

46.25 ± 3.12c

− 0.075

0.419

Mean diameter of the plant (D)

296.82 ± 12.31ac

294.06 ± 8.28ac

411.75 ± 42.25b

363.57 ± 13.88b

392.00 ± 9.50b

266.25 ± 3.75 ac

257.63 ± 18.90c

0.181

0.171

Leaf lenght (LL)

153.21 ± 3.66a

137.06 ± 5.79a

203.00 ± 19.00ab

229.32 ± 3.74b

168.50 ± 2.50ab

125.50 ± 9.50a

167.75 ± 6.28ab

0.305

− 0.005

Leaf width at middle (LW)

26.50 ± 0.40a

27.17 ± 0.63a

24.00 ± 0.00ab

22.69 ± 0.46b

29.50 ± 0.50ab

21.50 ± 0.50ab

27.75 ± 2.29ab

− 0.208

0.038

LL/LW

5.79 ± 0.12a

5.10 ± 0.24a

8.46 ± 0.79ab

10.26 ± 0.30b

5.71 ± 0.01ab

5.85 ± 0.58ab

6.18 ± 0.58ab

0.306

− 0.009

LL/SL

2.12 ± 0.07a

1.75 ± 0.10abc

3.02 ± 0.39abcd

3.57 ± 0.10c

3.11 ± 0.35abcd

2.49 ± 0.08abcd

3.68 ± 0.31d

0.253

− 0.276

Terminal thorn length (TTL)

7.30 ± 0.24a

6.87 ± 0.18a

3.88 ± 0.12abc

3.29 ± 0.07b

4.13 ± 0.62abc

3.34 ± 0.34abc

3.26 ± 0.11c

− 0.263

0.226

Terminal thorn width at the base (TTW)

1.09 ± 0.03a

1.17 ± 0.04ad

0.57 ± 0.01b

0.70 ± 0.02cb

1.13 ± 0.12abcd

0.65 ± 0.02abcd

0.68 ± 0.03bcd

− 0.246

0.179

TTL/TTW

6.75 ± 0.28a

6.00 ± 0.28a

6.81 ± 0.03ab

4.78 ± 0.14b

3.76 ± 0.96ab

5.18 ± 0.65ab

4.85 ± 0.25ab

− 0.152

0.174

TTL/LL

0.05 ± 0.00 a

0.05 ± 0.00 a

0.02 ± 0.00 ab

0.01 ± 0.00 b

0.03 ± 0.00 ab

0.03 ± 0.00 ab

0.02 ± 0.00 ab

- 0.277

0.197

Total number of teeth (TEET)

38.94 ± 3.39 a

33.50 ± 1.07 a

65.50 ± 1.50 ab

79.19 ± 2.56 b

37.00 ± 1.00 ab

36.50 ± 3.50 ab

35.75 ± 1.80 a

0.296

0.065

TEET/LL

0.26 ± 0.02 ac

0.27 ± 0.01 ac

0.33 ± 0.02 ab

0.35 ± 0.01 b

0.22 ± 0.00 abc

0.29 ± 0.01 abc

0.21 ± 0.01 c

- 0.025

0.131

Number of teeth in 10 cm² (TEE10)

3.00 ± 0.17 ac

3.11 ± 0.11 ac

4.00 ± 1.00 ab

4.03 ± 0.26 ab

2.00 ± 0.00 c

3.00 ± 0.00 abcd

2.50 ± 0.29 cd

0.159

0.188

Teeth length (LTEE)

1.45 ± 0.06a

1.82 ± 0.07abc

1.06 ± 0.28abc

1.32 ± 0.07bc

2.39 ± 0.06abc

1.19 ± 0.05abc

1.00 ± 0.25c

− 0.160

0.164

LTEE/LL

0.01 ± 0.0001ab

0.014 ± 0.002bd

0.005 ± 0.001abcd

0.006 ± 0.00c

0.014 ± 0.00abcd

0.01 ± 0.002abcd

0.006 ± 0.002d

− 0.237

0.150

Teeth width (WTEE)

0.58 ± 0.04a

0.57 ± 0.02a

0.31 ± 0.07ab

0.32 ± 0.02 b

0.80 ± 0.08a

0.60 ± 0.11ab

0.70 ± 0.08a

− 0.259

− 0.211

LTEE/WTEE

2.64 ± 0.19abc

3.25 ± 0.11 ac

3.38 ± 0.16abc

4.20 ± 0.18 b

3.00 ± 0.23abc

2.05 ± 0.30abc

1.54 ± 0.51abc

0.175

0.278

Distance between teeth (DTEE)

2.05 ± 0.14a

1.78 ± 0.11a

1.16 ± 0.29ab

1.15 ± 0.09b

3.02 ± 0.25ab

3.33 ± 0.61ab

4.41 ± 0.65a

− 0.156

− 0.440

DTEE/LL

0.01 ± 0.00a

0.01 ± 0.00a

0.01 ± 0.00ab

0.01 ± 0.00b

0.02 ± 0.00ab

0.03 ± 0.01a

0.03 ± 0.00a

− 0.225

− 0.360

Effective number of alleles (A_E)

2.230 ± 0.273

2.183 ± 0.313

2.079 ± 0.166

2.739 ± 0.261

1.661 ± 0.321

1.667 ± 0.389

2.316 ± 0.397

Observed heterozygosity (H_O)

0.602 ± 0.120

0.586 ± 0.118

0.682 ± 0.102

0.645 ± 0.108

0.364 ± 0.136

0.364 ± 0.136

0.439 ± 0.128

Expected heterozygosity (H_E)

0.473 ± 0.070

0.445 ± 0.075

0.477 ± 0.055

0.583 ± 0.062

0.295 ± 0.090

0.364 ± 0.090

0.403 ± 0.102