ABSTRACT This work was carried out in Antioquia, Colombia, in a collection of the Furcraea and Agave genera, important in the country for manufacturing strings, sacks, geotextiles, and handicrafts Currently, to enhance its use, applications have been developed in textiles, biodegradable materials and thermo-acoustic insulation, among others. The aim of this study was to characterize phenotypically and agronomically 94 accessions. The variables were weighted according to the degree of discrimination; a dissimilarity dendrogram was constructed using UPGMA based on Gower's distance, and the cophenetic correlation coefficient was determined. Six groups were identified; on the one hand, the accessions of the Agave genus formed groups A and B, with and without spines, respectively, showing the highest elongation values. On the other hand, the Furcraea accessions formed groups C to F, with the highest average values of fiber per plant, allowing a first approach to identify promising clones for their use per se or utilized in plant breeding programs. This study represents an approach to knowing the morphological and agronomic variability of the collection and highlights the importance of maintaining the germplasm bank for ex situ conservation.

ABSTRACT Fique (Furcraea spp., Agavaceae) is source of natural fiber commuly used for packing in Colombia. However, the crop faces phytosanitary limitations that affect production, with scarce information published in this regard. In an ex situ biological collection of Furcraea spp. larvae of an unidentified species of Pyralidae were found feeding on the reproductive structures of the plants. Then, the aim of this work was to identify and report the species and damage of a potential Furcraea spp. pest in Colombia. The study done in the Research Center La Selva of AGROSAVIA, in the Municipality of Rionegro Antioquia, Colombia (6°07´46”N; -75°24´55” W; 2,100 m elavation). The immature stages were collected from infested bulbils and capsules of Furcraea plants and reared under laboratory conditions (17 °C and 65% relative humidity) until adults emerge. The species was identified as Phidotricha erigens Ragonot, 1888 using specialized keys for larva and adult. These larvae adversely affect the sanitary quality of fique seeds, which could affect the expansion of cultivated areas.This paper presents a description of some characters useful for identifying the species in the field.