Dahlia parvibracteata for agriculture and floriculture in Mexico

Dahlia is the national flower of Mexico whose beauty is recognized worldwide. Dahlia parvibracteata was discovered in 1995 in the north of Taxco in the state of Guerrero, Mexico. This species has a life cycle of 150 days from sowing to blooming under cultivation. It has tuberous roots and develops up to 4 basal long stems with a height up to 180 cm. Stems are hollow, reddish brown with abundant flowers, ideal for cut flower production. Plants produce up to 14 tuberous roots, with an average weight of 170 g plant^‑1, resulting in a yield of more than 3.5 t ha^‑1 of tuberous roots in a planting density of 20,750 plants. Tubers have an inulin concentration of 24.25% (dw), which is higher compared to other species of the genus such as Dahlia brevis (21.7%), but significant lower than Dahlia coccinea (70%). Tubers are an important food source or medicine, and present industrial applications. D. parvibracteata develops a high number of tuberous roots and our results obtained so far show that the species has good potential to be used for the production of tuberous roots and inulin. Future studies will focus on how to facilitate its management as a multipurpose plant, a combination of cut flower, food and source of inulin.