Wheat landraces production on farm level in Turkey; who is growing in where?
Turkey is the center of origin and domestication for many crop species (Davis, 1985; World Bank, 1993; Kaya et al. 1997; Tan, 1998) Diverse geological and climatic conditions of Turkey have given rise to unique plant species represented nowhere else in the world. Over 30% of 8,800 species found in the country are endemic to Turkey (World Bank, 1999) The country is the center of origin and a source of genetic diversity for globally important plants which were first domesticated from wild species and still exist in Turkey. In fact, Turkey's importance in relation to progenitor species, such as wheat, barley, oats, lentil chickpea, apple and pear, used in Mediterranean and temperate agricultural systems is virtually unprecedented (Harlan, 1995; Bennett et al. 1998) WLR are one of the most important genetic resources for Turkey. The archeological findings have shown that Eastern Mediterranean regions surrounding the rivers Tigris and Euphrates were the first places, where wheat was processed. Wheat is one of the oldest plants that has been cultivated by mankind. Archeological excavations showed that ancient people living around Sanliurfa (Karacadag Mountains) a province in the Southeastern part of Turkey, planted Einkorn wheat (Triticum boeoticum) approximately 10.000 12.000 years ago, which is the wild form of today's commercial wheat. Today [Einkorn wheat] is still used for animal feed in some areas (Nesbitt and Samuel, 1996; Zencirci and Birsin, 2004; Tanno and Willcox, 2006; Yavuz, 2010) The contribution of landraces to breeding and genetic research is very important. They are also a cultural heritage and an indication for the wealth for a country. In many studies, landraces were evaluated in terms of social and private values. The social value of landraces has been described by examples of the economic contribution of exotic crops and crop varieties (e.g. Iltis, 1982) and analytically by the contribution of germplasm to breeding programs (Evenson and Gollin, 1994; National Research Council 1993) The private value of landraces is suggested by their persistence in farming systems where alternative varieties exist (Brush 1995) and by studies on the evaluation and selection of local varieties (Bellon, 1996; Zimmerer 1996; Sperling et al. 1993) As the results of these studies, Pak. J. Agri. Sci. Vol. 53(1) 159 169; 2016 ISSN (Print) 0552 9034, ISSN (Online) 2076 0906 DOI: 10.21162/PAKJAS/16.3754 http:/www.pakjas.com.pk