Gene center

Areas with a particularly large genetic diversity of a certain genus or species are referred to as gene centers , also manifold centers , allele centers or centers of origin .

They are defined as a geographical region in which a group of organisms has either domesticated or freely developed their different characteristics.

Often these centers originated in regions with very different environmental conditions, which prevented one-sided selection .

Even today, centers of origin are usually still characterized by a very high level of bio-diversity .

plants

The centers of origin of agricultural crops are very important for plant breeding. In this way, genes from wild relatives (crop wild relatives), but also from similar crops, can be used to improve the characteristics of the variety. (e.g. breeding for resistance to certain diseases)

Dealing with the origins of our plants is also important in order to counteract the radical reduction in biodiversity and the loss of high genetic potential, caused, among other things, by a decline in the natural habitat (deforestation of the rainforests, urbanization, ...).

In addition to protecting natural habitats, genetic diversity is also safeguarded in large seed banks .

Center of the manifold according to Vawilow

The Russian botanist Nikolaj Wawilow discovered on his numerous research trips that an extraordinary variety of wild forms of our cultivated plants can be found in certain geographical regions . He called these regions gene centers.

These centers of diversity have been defined as the starting points for the domestication of our crops.

Wawilow developed the theory that domestication did not spread randomly across the world, but began in very specific regions.

To this day, a particularly high biodiversity of wild relatives of the cultivars can be found in these regions .

World centers of origin for cultivated plants

region	plants
1. South Mexico, Central America:	including Guatemala, Honduras and Costa Rica. Grains and vegetables: corn , kidney beans , lima beans , tepary beans , jack beans , amaranth Cucurbits : fig leaf squash , chayote Fiber plants: various types of cotton , henequen ( fiber agave ), sisal agave Others: sweet potato , arrowroot , bell pepper , papaya , guava , cashew , cherry tomato , cocoa
2. South America:	62 plants in 3 sub-centers 2A. Peru, Ecuador, Bolivia: Root and tuber plants: Andean potatoes , various potato varieties. Grains and vegetables: starch corn, lima bean , kidney bean Vegetables: pepino / melon pear , tomato , physalis / bladder cherries , pumpkin , paprika Fiber plants: Egyptian cotton Fruits and others: cocoa , passion fruit , guava , tobacco 2 B. Chiloé (island near southern Chile) Potato , strawberry 2C. Brazil Paraguay Cassava , peanut , rubber tree , pineapple , cashew .
3. Mediterranean area:	84 plants Grains and vegetables: wheat , emmer , spelled , oats various places, Lathyrus sativus , pea , lupine Forage plant: white clover , crimson clover Oil and fiber plants: flax , rape , black mustard , olive Vegetables: beetroot , cabbage , turnip , lettuce , asparagus , celery , chicory , parsnip , rhubarb Essential oil and spice plants: caraway , anise , thyme , peppermint , hops , sage .
4. Middle East:	including parts of Asia, the entire South Caucasus, Iran, mountain areas of Turkmenistan - 83 plants Grains and vegetables: einkorn , durum wheat , wheat , oriental wheat, persian wheat, two- row barley , rye , lentils , lupine Forage plants: alfalfa , persian clover , fenugreek , vetch Fruits: fig , pomegranate , apple , pear , quince , cherry .
5. Ethiopia:	including Abyssinia, Eritrea and parts of Somaliland. 38 plants; rich in wheat and barley Grains and vegetables: Abyssinian durum wheat , emmer , barley , pearl millet , sorghum , black peas , flax More: sesame , castor bean , garden cress , coffee , marshmallow , myrrh .
6. Central Asia:	including Northwest India (Punjab, border regions in the Northwest and Kashmir), Afghanistan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan and West Tian-Shan - 43 plants Grains and vegetables: wheat , beans , lentils , horse beans , chickpeas , mung beans , mustard , flax , sesame seeds Fiber plants: hemp , cotton Vegetables: onion , garlic , spinach , carrot Fruits: pistachio , pear , almond , wine , apple .
7. India:	Two sub-centers 7A. Indo-Burma: main center (Hindustan): includes Assam and Burma, but not northwest India, Punjab and the border areas in the northwest - 117 plants Grains and vegetables: rice , chickpea , pigeon pea , black gram , mung bean , rice bean , cowpea , Vegetables and tubers: eggplant , cucumber , radish , taro , yams Fruits: mango , orange , tangerine , lemon , tamarind Sugar, oil and fiber plants: sugar cane , coconut , sesame, oil thistle , cotton , oriental cotton, jute , kenaf Spice and dye plants and others: hemp , black pepper , rubber tree , sandal tree , Ceylon cinnamon tree , croton , bamboo . 7B. Siam-Malaya-Java: including Indochina and Malay Archipelago, 55 plants Grains and vegetables: Job's tears , pruritic bean Fruits: grapefruit , banana , breadfruit , mangosteen Oil, sugar, spice and fiber plants: light walnut , coconut , sugar cane , clove , nutmeg , black pepper , Manila hemp .
8. China:	136 plants Cereals and vegetables: e.g. B .: millet , foxtail millet , Koaliang, buckwheat , soybean , azuki bean , velvet bean Roots and tubers, vegetables: z. E.g .: Chinese yams , radish , Chinese cabbage , onion , cucumber Fruits and nuts: e.g. E.g .: pear , Chinese apple , peach , apricot (apricot), cherry , walnut , lychee Sugar, medicinal and fiber plants: e.g. E.g .: sugar cane , poppy seeds , ginseng , camphor tree , hemp .

Individual evidence

1. ↑ ^{a b} Schütt, Schuck, Stimm: Lexicon of tree and shrub species . Nikol, Hamburg 2002, ISBN 3-933203-53-8 , p. 195.
2. ^ Gerhard Wagenitz : Dictionary of Botany. Morphology, anatomy, taxonomy, evolution. 2nd, expanded edition. Nikol, Hamburg 2008, ISBN 978-3-937872-94-0 , p. 126.
3. ↑ ITPGRFA, Article 2
4. ↑ Peter von Sengbusch: Gene centers, atavism . July 31, 2003. Retrieved November 24, 2008.
5. ↑ Blaine P. Friedlander Jr: Cornell and Polish research scientists lead effort to save invaluable potato genetic archive in Russia . June 20, 2000. Retrieved March 19, 2008.
6. ↑ World centers of origin of Cultivated Plants, Adapted from Vavilov (1951) by RW Schery, Plants for Man, Prentice Hall, Englewood Cliffs, NJ, 1972
7. ^ History of Horticulture, Jules Janick, Purdue University, 2002