Agave tequilana Through the 1990s, diseases spread, particularly "Fusarium" fungi and "Erwinia" bacteria, exacerbated by the low genetic diversity of the agave plants. Other problems include the agave weevil, "Scyphophorus acupunctatus", and a fungus, "Thielaviopsis paradoxa". According to a 2004 study, additional pathogens, "Erwinia carotovora", "Enterobacter agglomerans", "Pseudomonas mendocina", and "Serratia" spp. are responsible for continued rot. The homoisoflavanones 5,7-dihydroxy-3-(4-methoxybenzyl)-chroman-4-one, 7-hydroxy-3-(4-hydroxybenzyl)-chroman-4-one and 4’-demethyl-3,9-dihydro-punctatin can be isolated from "A. tequilana". Agave tequilana Agave tequilana, commonly called blue agave () or tequila agave, is an agave plant that is an important economic product of Jalisco, Mexico, due to its role as the base ingredient
Agave was a major food source for the prehistoric indigenous people of the Southwestern United States. The Hohokam of southern Arizona cultivated large areas of agave. The Navajo similarly found many uses for the agave plant. A beverage is squeezed from the baked fibers, and the heads can be baked or boiled, pounded into flat sheets, sun dried, and stored for future use. The baked, dried heads are also boiled and made into an edible paste, eaten whole, or made into soup. The leaves are eaten boiled, and the young, tender flowering stalks and shoots are roasted and eaten as well.