The genus Gossypium has important ethnobotanical and economic value for Amazonian Native Communities (A.N.C.). However, little research has been undertaken on the distribution and genetic diversity of cotton populations maintained in the Peruvian rainforest. This work aims to present the first report on the genetic diversity of Gossypium spp. populations in the A.N.C. of the province of La Convención, Cusco-Peru. The methodology was based on exploring, collecting, identifying, and characterizing the Gossypium populations present in the A.N.C. Twenty-six descriptors were evaluated (9 quantitative and 17 qualitative), and with this information, distribution, correlation, and principal component (PC) analyses were carried out. As a result, plants of two species [G. barbadense L. (44 samples) and G. hirsutum L. (19 samples)], one variety [G. barbadense var. brasiliensis (75 samples)], and three previously unidentified variations (9 samples) were identified. Altogether, 147 samples were collected. G. barbadense var. brasiliensis, which was always found in association with other economic crops within an altitude range of 338 to 1086 m, was the most predominant (51%), distributed in eleven A.N.C. and always in small plots (up to 2 ha). G. barbadense L. was cultivated between 397 and 1137 m of altitude in eight A.N.C. in plots of up to 3 ha in marginal lands. G. hirsutum L., with a smaller distribution (13%), was found between 334 and 497 m of altitude in only three communities; this species is cultivated in marginal areas throughout the year. The variability found for the first two PCs when considering the quantitative and qualitative descriptors was high (74.7%) and moderate (48.2%), respectively. When combining all the descriptors, the analysis showed that the first two PCs accounted for 51.8% of the total variability of the data. The PCs of the two types of data and their combination confirmed that the three populations found were grouped. The nine undefined samples were close to or intermediate between the described ones, showing that these samples may be the result of spontaneous crosses; as such, these samples need to be better evaluated with other tools for further definition. The information obtained shows that in the A.N.C. of Cusco-Peru, there is variability conserved by the inhabitants, who have been able to maintain and use these genotypes, even from their Amazonian indigenous ancestry, and the environment has been able to generate variability among the species, as will be highlighted in future works.
Keywords: conservation; cotton; genetic resources; multivariate analysis; native varieties.