b"and to the attacks of pests and diseases. We have also found that there is a won-derful genetic variation for growth so we can select sotol families that grow fast and are suitable for plantations.Even with fast-growing varieties, its a process that will take a significant com-mitment. Sotol grows really slowly, it can take more than a decade to reach maturity. This means if you're planning on growing sotol, you're in it for the long haul, Looby says.Reyes envisions reclaiming unused land for future sotol plantations.We don't want our forests and shrubs to be destroyed to plant sotol. We want to use areas that were agricultural areas Dasylirion has 23 recognized species.but abandoned because there was not enough water to continue growing other crops, Reyes says. Sustainable Solutions control growth conditions and manageIn a hotter, drier world, sotols heat and On both sides of the border, sotolerosharvests predictably, which certainly ben- drought adaptations and resilience as a take responsible harvesting seriously.efits the ecosystem and reduces pressureperennial crop will garner attention as other We regulate our harvesting intensity,on wild populations, Looby says.water-intensive crops fail, Nabhan says.ensuring we do not exceed a sustainableCurrently, sotol has 23 recognizedOther research efforts could lead to fraction of the mature population, Loobyspecies. Dasylirion wheeleri, Dasylirionfinding ideal climate and soil conditions to says. We harvest from multiple ranchescedrosanum, Dasylirion leiophyllum,increase germination rates.across the state to avoid overburdeningDasylirion durangense and DasylirionThe seed takes special treatment any single area, giving the ecosystem atexanum are the most common for sotoland scientists at Universidad Autnoma chance to recover. This practice is com- production. de Chihuahua have given talks about the plemented by our collaboration with localReyes isnt aware of any other sotolbest ways to treat or scarify seeds before ranchers and landowners, helping managebreeding programs and welcomes future.planting them, allowing an increase in ger-the plant populations in areas where itHe is currently working with Cinvestavmination from about 10-15% to 80-100%, might otherwise be considered a nuisance. UGA-Langebio for DNA barcoding ofNabhan says. While both agave and sotol can takesotol species, aimed to develop tools forMore targeted research on specific 10 years to reach maturity, sotol offers afast species identification as he seeks toDasylirion species is necessary. more sustainable spirit due to its ability tomaintain genetic identity in his breedingWe use the Texanum variety, and our produce multiple crowns. efforts.observations suggest that even subtle With agave, each plant is only goodThrough the experience of agave andchanges in the environment can alter the for one harvest, but sotols can havetequila production, which is dependentflavors and aromas from one batch to multiple trunks so you can get multipleon monoculture, we believe it wouldnt beanother, Looby says.harvests from each plant, Nabhan says.reasonable to have monoculture of sotolNutritional insights are also valuable. Once the crown, or pina is harvested,plants, Reyes says.Researchers say the seeds have more the roasting process converts the plantsSotol plants can be either male orprotein than wheat. starches into sugars and fermentationfemale and Reyes says their breedingScientists agree there is much work and distillation follow with each additionalprogram plans to use cultivars based onto be done if sotol is going to continue distilling increasing the purity and alco- mixing seeds from half-sibling mater- its rise from Indigenous tradition to bar holic content of the spirit. nal families, combining those that havemainstay. And, while government regula-proven to perform well in cultivationtions are pivotal, the seed industry also It All Begins with Breedingconditions. has an important role with cultivar devel-Nearly all the current sotol produc- If we have two families and we canopment and ecological preservation.tion comes from wild harvested plants,take 20 seeds from each family and haveThis could involve improving wild however, breeding efforts could allowa variety that is a mix, he says. Cultivarsharvesting techniques, enhancing seed significant cultivation in the future. with enough genetic variation will beviability, and possibly discovering new Through cultivation, producers canmore resilient to environmental changes,varieties, Looby says.SW16/ SEEDWORLD.COMSEPTEMBER 2024"