Turkish wheat landraces: Population structure and function

Abstract

The cultivated tetraploid wheat (Triticum turgidum ssp. dicoccum) was derived from wild wheat in southeast Anatolia at Karacada? Mountain. There is a small core area in the region, where tetraploid wheat and many edible crop plants are cultivated. Settled human civilisation presumably started with wheat cultivation, after which traditional farmers developed landraces from germplasm collected after wheat domestication. Wheat landraces are adapted to different local environmental conditions; therefore, their gene pools display substantial genetic variation and have great potential as source of traits for good quality, resistance to adverse effects of biotic and abiotic stress factors, high yield and can be used to develop modern durum or bread wheat cultivars. Recently, however, high yielding modern wheat varieties are replacing landraces and cultivation areas and production of landraces decreased dramatically. This might lead to the loss or even extinction of landraces with invaluable germplasm. Therefore, in situ and ex situ conservation strategies should be supported to conserve the germplasm of landraces for future food security. Traditional farmers should be supported and encouraged to carry out on-farm conservation of landraces, where natural selection and continued evolution can generate new and more adapted germplasm.