Domestication process of two Solanum (section Lasiocarpa) species among Amerindians in the Upper Orinoco, Venezuela with special focus on Piaroa indians

Volpato, Gabriele, Rossella Marcucci, Noemi Tornadore, and Maurizio G. Paoletti (Department of Biology, University of Padua, 325100 Padova, Italy; email corresponding author: paoletti@civ.bio.unipd.it). DOMESTICATION PROCESS OF TWO SOLANUM SECTION LASIOCARPA SPECIES AMONG AMERINDIANS IN THE UPPER ORINOCO, VENEZUELA, WITH SPECIAL FOCUS ON PIAROA INDIANS. Economic Botany 58(2):000–000, 2004. Two semi-cultivated Solanum species (S. sessiliflorum Dunal and S. stramonifolium Jacq.) are utilized by the Amazonian Indians of the Upper Orinoco Basin in Venezuela. The manner by which they have become partially domesticated by the Piaroas and other native tribes of this rain forest region is elucidated in the following text. Both species have two varieties, with and without prickles, the latter the result of human selection. Patterns of indigenous utilization of these species by the selection of morphologic forms and to the differentiation of karyotypes of varieties, and exploitation of the species reflects also in the perception of them among users. S. sessiliflorum is cultivated in swiddens and has an economic role, whereas S. stramonifolium is grown in dooryards. This difference is detectable to the Piaroas, as they recognize in their folk taxonomy three different varieties of the S. sessiliflorum and one of S. stramonifolium, this according to the stage of domestication of the species and the way in which they are utilized.