MEXICO CITY — A groundbreaking study led by Jonathan Wendel, a professor of ecology, evolution, and biology at the State University of Iowa, has confirmed that the wild cotton species Gossypium hirsutum originated in the northwest of Yucatán. This species is one of the most widely cultivated globally, accounting for approximately 90% of the cotton used in the world’s textile and clothing industries.
The research, published in the prestigious multidisciplinary journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), involved collecting samples from wild cotton populations across their natural distribution. By comparing genetic information, scientists were able to reconstruct the evolutionary history of the species.
The analysis revealed that wild cotton populations in northwest Yucatán retain significantly higher genetic diversity and fewer potentially harmful gene variants than those found in the northeast of the peninsula or the Caribbean basin. These findings reinforce previous archaeological and ecological theories suggesting that northwest Yucatán was the species’ birthplace, now substantiated by genetic evidence.
Luis Alejandro Abdala Roberts, a member of the research team, noted that the study included extensive sampling from Florida, the Antilles, and Yucatán. “This allowed us to compare all those populations and describe their genetics. The pattern is very clear: the most genetically diverse populations are in the northwest of the peninsula,” he explained.
A Reservoir for Climate Adaptation
Wendel emphasized that identifying the ancestral origins of wild populations is critical because these areas serve as natural reservoirs of genetic variation that took millions of years to evolve. “This helps Mexico, for example, decide which populations are most important for conservation,” he noted.
As global climate change subjects cotton crops to increasingly volatile conditions, the study suggests that wild populations may hold the genetic keys to survival. Wendel explained that the process of domestication creates a "bottleneck": by selecting for larger seeds, faster growth, or easier harvesting, farmers inadvertently discard other genetic traits.
“It is possible that genes allowing resistance to diseases, growth in high-salinity soils, or adaptation to climate change did not survive the domestication process—and therefore are not found in domestic varieties—but continue to exist in wild specimens,” he said. He noted that this germplasm could be crossbred to create varieties with specific improvements, such as pest tolerance or heat resistance.
Despite their scientific and agricultural relevance, these wild cotton species are increasingly threatened by real estate development, particularly coastal tourism. Wendel warned that the disappearance of these genetic resources is a significant concern and called for their protection.
While the discovery of cotton’s origin in Yucatán is a major milestone, Wendel noted it also raises new questions. He explained that a single fiber cell involves the coordination of 40,000 to 50,000 genes, and the science of how they coordinate is still being explored.
“We still lack understanding of which genes determine fiber quality and which will help cotton face future environmental conditions,” he concluded.
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