Wheat Landraces Currently Grown in Turkey: Distribution, Diversity, and Use

From 2009 to 2014 a nationwide effort was made to document, collect, conserve, and characterize wheat landraces grown by Turkish farmers. Spike samples were collected from more than 1600 farmers from 59 provinces, planted as single-spike progenies, and classified into species, subspecies, and botanical varieties (or morphotypes). Despite the small total area of wheat landrace production in Turkey, the nationwide landrace distribution and diversity is significant for the global heritage of humankind, and it has now been well documented, collected, and preserved. The reduction in number of morphotypes compared with the 1920s was documented in this study and exceeded 70% in some regions. However, comparing wheat landraces of the past with those of the present demonstrated that they are evolving and very different from what they were 90 to 100 years ago. This study suggests that long-term cultivation of wheat landraces and their exchange by farmers results in their continuous enhancement, adaptation, and creation of new genetic diversity.