Our work in the Field

The Hernandez Lab has built a robust network of collaborators across Mexico and the U.S., enabling us to conduct safe, efficient, and high-impact fieldwork for the collection of agave and cactus material—both from wild or cultivated specimens. Operating in diverse and often challenging environments, we have developed strategic solutions to navigate logistical, legal, and safety complexities, ensuring seamless specimen collection and research operations. Thanks to the Desert Botanical Garden, we are expanding our field capabilities to other countries, broadening our impact on the conservation of desert biodiversity globally.

Our team is highly skilled in species identification, specimen collection, and preservation, including herbarium specimens, fast-frozen tissue samples, and high-quality HMW DNA extraction for advanced sequencing technologies. We have established reliable workflows to either transport germplasm material to the U.S. or perform in-situ DNA extractions, overcoming cross-border research challenges.

Community collaboration is at the core of our work. We prioritize ethical field practices, partnering with local institutions, conservationists, and communities to ensure mutual benefits, knowledge exchange, and training opportunities for the next generation of scientists. By avoiding extractive research models, we make active efforts to support capacity-building and strengthen conservation efforts in the regions where we work.