About this Webinar Series:
This webinar series will focus on underutilized crops, plant species of local or regional importance that have received limited attention in research, breeding, and policy compared with global staples such as rice, maize, and wheat. These crops hold significant potential to strengthen food security, improve nutrition, and support rural livelihoods. Their relevance is increasing as climate change and population growth place new pressures on food systems.
Underutilized crops are typically cultivated and consumed locally, including in Latin America, a region rich in traditional agricultural systems. They provide stable food sources for rural communities, are often nutrient-rich, and form the foundation of traditional diets. They also enhance dietary diversity. Their production and commercialization can create new market opportunities and promote agrobiodiversity, which is essential for climate resilience and long-term food security.
The webinar series, organized by the ASPB International Committee with support from the John Templeton Foundation, aims to raise awareness of the role these crops play in food security and nutrition and expand knowledge on these under-explored crops, highlight emerging trends and opportunities, and strengthen research networks working on underutilized species.
Organized by the ASPB International Committee, with support from the John Templeton Foundation, in collaboration with CICY and Universidad del Valle de Guatemala.
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Day 1 Keynote/Plenary: Amaranth Across Time: Mesoamerican Heritage and Genetic Diversity
When: Tuesday, September 1, 2026, at 7:45 AM Mexico & Guatemala City | 9:45 PM EDT | 2:45 PM BST | 9:45 PM Beijing
This plenary session brings together the two sides of amaranth, in two distinct voices, to discuss the cultural heritage of Mesoamerica and the genetic diversity of today’s grain amaranth collections. In the first lecture, we will discuss the history, traditional names, ceremonial uses, and cultural significance of amaranth in Mesoamerica. In the second lecture, we will discuss the genetic differences in the Andean and Mesoamerican grain amaranth cultures in a core collection of crops from the USDA using molecular markers. They will discuss the historical knowledge and genetic resources of amaranth (and how they are going to help us conserve, study, and enhance this old crop in the future).
Lecture 1: Remaining Mesoamerican Amaranth Legends
For a century, amaranths of the Americas have been examined with botanical curiosity, owing both to their physiological advantages in restrictive agroecosystems and to their outstanding nutritional content for human consumption. Their biology has been scrutinised; yet, within the framework of ethnobotany, there remain aspects of their history that are still unresolved. Legends have persisted that merit reflection, grounded in new avenues of inquiry and fresh conceptual approaches, to understand how this crop moved from being a Mesoamerican staple—produced on such a scale as to sustain a flourishing civilisation and even serve as tribute—to becoming an orphan crop.
One subject that warrants historical and socio‑cultural analysis is the nomenclature of the plant and its edible parts, which may be referred to as huauhtli, xtes, alegría, amaranto, among others. Equally contentious is the Mexica formulation of tzoalli, the ceremonial preparation made with maize and amaranth and offered in petitions for rain and “veintenas”. The cosmological significance surrounding tzoalli probably endured into the present through a process that deserves careful study, to comprehend amaranth as a valuable legacy for addressing contemporary challenges.
Featured Speaker:
Dr. Hiran Moran
Hiran Moran earned her PhD at Colegio de Postgraduados and completed postdoctoral research at UAM Iztapalapa, Mexico. Her work combines traditional uses of native plant genetic resources with nutraceutical applications in healthy foods. She specializes in ethnobotany and the agrobiodiversity of amaranth. She collaborates with communities and organisations like the FAO to advance resilient food systems. She coordinated the Liaison Group for the Promotion of Amaranth in Mexico (2014–2016) and served as Director of the bilateral collaboration project ‘Promotion of Amaranth Cultivation and Consumption: Strengthening Chile–Mexico’. Currently, she serves as Technical Secretary and co-founder of the Latin American Amaranth Network. Find her on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/hiran-moran-redlaam/.
Lecture 2: Differentiation of Grain Amaranth Genotypes in a USDA Core Collection
Grain amaranths are made up of three New World species of pseudo-cereals with C4 photosynthesis from the dicotyledonous plant family Amaranthaceae and the genus Amaranthus. They originate in two ecoregions of the Americas, namely, the inter-Andean valleys of South America and the volcanic axis and lowlands of Mexico and Central America. These correspond to centers of domestication for Andean and Mesoamerican crops, with one cultivated species found in the first region and two in the latter region. To date, no core collection was made for grain amaranths in the United States Department of Agriculture germplasm system. In this study, our objective was to create a core for the 2,899 gene bank accessions with site collection data and 1,090 geo-referenced by latitude and longitude. We constituted the core with 260 genotypes of Amaranthus, which we evaluated with 90 single-nucleotide polymorphism markers. Our specific goal was to distinguish between Andean and Mesoamerican gene pools of amaranths, including the cultivated species and three possible progenitor or wild relatives along with two more natural species in an outgroup. Population structure, clustering, and discriminant analysis for principal components showed that Andean species Amaranthus caudatus and Amaranthus quitensis shared fewer alleles with Mesoamerican species Amaranthus cruentus and Amaranthus hypochondriacus, compared to each group individually. Amaranthus hybridus was a bridge species sharing alleles among regions. Molecular markers have the advantage of quickly distinguishing Andean and Mesoamerican cultivars and have added benefit of being useful for inter-species crosses and introgression.
Featured Speaker:
Dr. Matthew Blair
Matthew W. Blair is a Plant Breeder and Research Associate Professor at Tennessee State University (TSU) in Nashville, Tennessee where he conducts breeding and genetics projects on legumes and dicotyledonous C4 crop plants such as cultivated amaranth. Dr. Blair graduated as a plant scientist (B.S.) and as a Plant Breeder (Ph.D)from Cornell University and also has an M.S. in Agronomy and Crop Improvement from the University of Puerto Rico / Mayaguez. He is bilingual in English and Spanish and also speaks Portuguese, some French and a bit of Quechua. His university, TSU, is an 1890s land grant university, one of the Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU) in the United States, that is critical to agriculture in the southeastern USA. Dr. Blair has been advisor or co-advisor for large number of graduate students, international trainees and undergraduate students (cumulative 35+ Ph.D., 20+ M.Sc., 40 + B.Sc., 25 trainees, 12 fellowships). He has published nearly 200 refereed publications, 75 non-refereed publications, over 15 book chapters, 120,000 Genbank entries and 4 Crop registrations in US and International journals. He has appeared on National Public Radio and TV stations as well as given interviews in Latin America. His collaborative projects as PI or coPI have focused on nutritional traits and amaranth, common bean, cowpea and mung bean genomics and have totaled approximately 10 M dollars including additional projects in abiotic stress tolerance (drought, salinity and aluminum toxicity) legume breeding.
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Day 2 Keynote/Plenary Title: Amaranth in the Mayan region: Mexico and Guatemala
When: Wednesday, September 2, 2026, at 7:45 AM Mexico & Guatemala City | 9:45 PM EDT | 2:45 PM BST | 9:45 PM Beijing
Since the very first CICY meeting (Amaranth Webinar 2021), our research group has focused on filling a gap in the agricultural history of Mesoamerican amaranths. We specialize in the study of a specific grain amaranth species native to a hypothesized centre of domestication in southern Mexico and Guatemala. Today, our collaborative team of researchers and students is proud to present new evidence that advances our understanding of this ancient crop and opens new possibilities for future scientific inquiries.
Lecture 3: Amaranth in the Mayan Zone: Overview and Recent Findings
Amaranthus cruentus L. is one of three species called “grain amaranths”, a species adapted to tropical climatic conditions and with a less sensitive photoperiod than the other two species. The hypothesis related to its center of domestication remained unchanged since Sauer (1967), who proposed an origin in Guatemala or in some part of southern Mexico. Based on this premise, a team research was carried out considering six axes: morphology, diversity, genomics, phytochemical, nutritional, and social impact. The results obtained led to advances in the status of knowledge of the domestication syndrome of the species at the morphological and genetic level, the discovery of three genomic groups, the establishment of several domestication centers, and new records of the species in the Yucatan Peninsula. An additional unexpected finding was the discovery of new betalains that were tested and showed a potential use to mitigate the concentration of glucose in the blood as well as blood pressure. In addition, various workshops were carried out to promote the introduction of Amaranthus cruentus cultivation in rural facilities of some remote communities in Yucatan, encouraging its cultivation and consumption.
Featured Speaker:
Dr. Ivonne Sánchez del Pino
Ivonne Sánchez del Pino is a level 1 national researcher and professor at CICY in Merida, Yucatan, Mexico. She earned her Ph. D. through a joint program between CUNY (City University of New York) and the New York Botanical Garden. Her research focuses on the systematics, evolution, and molecular phylogenetics of the family Amaranthaceae. Dr. Sánchez del Pino also conducted work on the biodiversity of gypsum-rich tropical soils and her work explores the domestication history of amaranth in the Maya area. She has authored 26 scientific articles and 12 dissemination articles focused on making research accessible to the public.
Lecture 4: Amaranth in Guatemala: Current Knowledge and a Vision for the Future
Dr. Cifuentes Velásquez has devoted more than four decades to agricultural research, higher education, and innovation in Guatemala. His work has focused on soil science, sustainable agricultural production, climate change adaptation, and the development and transfer of technologies that improve the productivity and resilience of farming systems. Throughout his career, he has led and collaborated on numerous nationally and internationally funded research and development projects supporting both smallholder and commercial agriculture. His contributions include research on soil fertility, biofertilizers, horticultural production, and sustainable farming practices, with an emphasis on strengthening food systems and improving livelihoods. As Director of the Center for Agricultural and Food Studies at Universidad del Valle de Guatemala, he promotes interdisciplinary research and partnerships that address key agricultural and food security challenges. He has authored or co-authored nearly 60 scientific publications and continues to advance research and innovation that contribute to sustainable agricultural development in Guatemala.
Featured Speaker:
Dr. Rolando Cifuentes Velásquez
Cifuentes Velásquez earned his Agricultural Engineering degree from the University of San Carlos of Guatemala and holds M.Sc. and Ph.D. degrees in Agronomy (Soil Science) from New Mexico State University, USA. He directs the Center for Agricultural and Food Studies at Universidad del Valle de Guatemala. His research focuses on sustainable agriculture and soil science. His honors include Guatemala’s National Medal in Science and Technology (2023), the Ricardo Bressani Medal, recognition by Banco Industrial’s Permanent Civic Program, induction into the UVG Distinguished Researchers Gallery, and election as a Full Member of the National Academy of Sciences of Guatemala.
