Pises (Xanthosoma robustum, Araceae): Traditional Knowledge and Sustainable Farming Practices of a Neglected and Underutilized Crop in a Mexican Indigenous Community

Pises ( Xanthosoma robustum , Araceae): Traditional Knowledge and Sustainable Farming Practices of a Neglected and Underutilized Crop in a Mexican Indigenous Community. Xanthosoma robustum is an indigenous wild edible plant with a rhizome native to Mesoamerica, known as “pises” in Náhuatl. However, surveys of ethnobotanical knowledge about this species are scarce, and little is known about local consumption habits and agricultural practices. An ethnobotanical survey was conducted to record pises uses, farming, market, and profitability in a Nahua community. Pises is cultivated mainly in coffee plantations and hillside agroecosystems. To evaluate differences between these agroecosystems in terms of yield and biomass, a nonparametric test and one-way analysis of variance were performed. To test the relationship between variables, a Spearman’s rank correlation coefficient was applied. According to the results, local knowledge and management of pises are traditional, involving cultivation under sustainable practices. There was a correlation between the age of residents and consumption (r s = 0.92). Most people who still consume the X. robustum rhizome are between 33 and 85 years old; the youngest people know the plant but eat it rarely. The species is cultivated for direct consumption by households, or for small-scale local sales. The consumption and cultivation of pises are declining. Nonetheless, due to its nutritional value, medicinal properties, and low maintenance cultivation, it has potential for more intensive exploitation.