Tropical Production Systems Technical Note - Collection of Two Native Cultivars of Phaseolus lunatus f. microcarpus in the Guatemalan Humid Lowland Tropics.

This Technical Note reports on the seed collection of 2 native cultivars of the “Sieva” group, during the major dry period in years 2008 and 2009. The cultivars were collected in the Humid Lowland Tropics in Southeastern Guatemala in Q’eqchi’ Mayan communities in the regions of Sumach-Rio Pita, Izabal (150-300 m elevation; 2000-2500 mm rainfall/yr) and Teleman-Salac, Alta Verapaz (300-600 m elevation; 2000-2500 mm rainfall/yr). The Q’eqchi’ Mayan name for these cultivars is “Frijol Tapakal”. (Wilk, 1997; Sam, et al, 2003) The Q’eqchi’ Mayan population is estimated to be over 1,400,000, and is currently the world’s largest Tropical Rainforest Ethnic Group.