Wheat in Turkey:
Nusret, Z.
Wheat in Turkey: yesterday, today, and tomorrow - Tbilisi (Georgia) CIMMYT : 2004 - p. 316-317 - Printed
Abstract only
Our old wheat is still a staple food today in many less-developed countries as bread, bulgur- nodules and, to some extent, pasta. Humankind's old wheat history started, when durum (Triticum turgidum var. dicoccum) and bread wheat (T. aestivum) were first seen in old lands of Fertile Crescent between the Euphrates and the Tigers rivers. The large part of these lands in the Near East is located in Turkey. Not only the above- mentioned wheat cultivars but also their wild relatives first emerged in the region. Around 10,000 years ago, einkorn and cultivated emmer (Triticum turgidum var. dicoccum) spread through the Fertile Crescent and beyond. Coextensive habitat of these pre-wheats eventually resulted in hexaploid (T. aestivum) bread wheat via the hybridisation between Aegilops squarrosa and emmer nearly 8,000 years ago. From these early years, wheat has kept its importance as well as diversity in Turkey up to now. In 1939, Mirza Gokgol, a pioneer in wheat genetic resources, described 17 morphologically different types of T. durum, 10 types of T. turgidum, 2 types of T. polonicum, 2 types of T. persicum, 11 types of T. aestivum, and 3 types of T. compactum. In total, he described more than 36,000 indigenous wheat forms tested under both spring and winter sown conditions, and defined the dominating wheat types of the wheat-growing zones of Turkey. In his conclusion, Gokgol added that Turkish wheats represent an inexhaustible source of diversity. In later years, the large diversity and significance of wheat has become the subject of attention of local and foreign wheat scientists and utilization by various wheat programs, including those in Turkey. In addition to wheat programs available prior to 1969, the Ministry of Agriculture of Turkey took steps in 1969 to improve a wheat program in winter- facultative wheat regions where average yields did not exceed 1.2 t/ha. In 1967, a multi-disciplinary wheat research and training project was initiated by Turkey with the support of Rockfeller Foundation, CIMMYT, and Oregon SU. Upon completion of the Project's in 1982, Turkey had doubled its national wheat production, with an average yield increase from 1.1 to 1.82 t/ha (Kronstad, 1981), succeeding its "green revolution". During the succeeding era and later on, Turkish national institutes improved various bread and durum wheat cultivars for various regions of Turkey. In addition to National Wheat Programs in Turkey, the Government of Turkey and CIMMYT initiated an International Winter Wheat Improvement Programme (IWWIP) in 1986, which became a joint Turkey/CIMMYT/ICARDA program in ]990. The objective of this program is to develop winter and facultative wheat cultivars mainly for West and Central Asia and to facilitate global exchange of winter wheat germplasm. Winter and facultative bread wheat cultivars developed by the IWWIP were later released in Afghanistan, Argentina, Iran, Pakistan, Tajikistan and Turkey. More than 150 winter wheat breeding programs around the world make use of nurseries distributed by the IWWIP. What Gokgol wrote in 1939, "Due to its high quality, Turkish wheat should attract the attention of grain buyers worldwide", is valid today and will be valid tomorrow. Therefore, Turkish wheat will keep getting attention from all wheat scientists around the world and will be the one to be considered first when a problem related to wheat production arises.
English
Aegilops squarrosa
Bread
Food crops
Hybridization
Seed production
Triticum dicoccum
Triticum polonicum
Triticum turgidum
Wheat
Yield increases
Triticum aestivum
CIMMYT
633.1147 / BED
Wheat in Turkey: yesterday, today, and tomorrow - Tbilisi (Georgia) CIMMYT : 2004 - p. 316-317 - Printed
Abstract only
Our old wheat is still a staple food today in many less-developed countries as bread, bulgur- nodules and, to some extent, pasta. Humankind's old wheat history started, when durum (Triticum turgidum var. dicoccum) and bread wheat (T. aestivum) were first seen in old lands of Fertile Crescent between the Euphrates and the Tigers rivers. The large part of these lands in the Near East is located in Turkey. Not only the above- mentioned wheat cultivars but also their wild relatives first emerged in the region. Around 10,000 years ago, einkorn and cultivated emmer (Triticum turgidum var. dicoccum) spread through the Fertile Crescent and beyond. Coextensive habitat of these pre-wheats eventually resulted in hexaploid (T. aestivum) bread wheat via the hybridisation between Aegilops squarrosa and emmer nearly 8,000 years ago. From these early years, wheat has kept its importance as well as diversity in Turkey up to now. In 1939, Mirza Gokgol, a pioneer in wheat genetic resources, described 17 morphologically different types of T. durum, 10 types of T. turgidum, 2 types of T. polonicum, 2 types of T. persicum, 11 types of T. aestivum, and 3 types of T. compactum. In total, he described more than 36,000 indigenous wheat forms tested under both spring and winter sown conditions, and defined the dominating wheat types of the wheat-growing zones of Turkey. In his conclusion, Gokgol added that Turkish wheats represent an inexhaustible source of diversity. In later years, the large diversity and significance of wheat has become the subject of attention of local and foreign wheat scientists and utilization by various wheat programs, including those in Turkey. In addition to wheat programs available prior to 1969, the Ministry of Agriculture of Turkey took steps in 1969 to improve a wheat program in winter- facultative wheat regions where average yields did not exceed 1.2 t/ha. In 1967, a multi-disciplinary wheat research and training project was initiated by Turkey with the support of Rockfeller Foundation, CIMMYT, and Oregon SU. Upon completion of the Project's in 1982, Turkey had doubled its national wheat production, with an average yield increase from 1.1 to 1.82 t/ha (Kronstad, 1981), succeeding its "green revolution". During the succeeding era and later on, Turkish national institutes improved various bread and durum wheat cultivars for various regions of Turkey. In addition to National Wheat Programs in Turkey, the Government of Turkey and CIMMYT initiated an International Winter Wheat Improvement Programme (IWWIP) in 1986, which became a joint Turkey/CIMMYT/ICARDA program in ]990. The objective of this program is to develop winter and facultative wheat cultivars mainly for West and Central Asia and to facilitate global exchange of winter wheat germplasm. Winter and facultative bread wheat cultivars developed by the IWWIP were later released in Afghanistan, Argentina, Iran, Pakistan, Tajikistan and Turkey. More than 150 winter wheat breeding programs around the world make use of nurseries distributed by the IWWIP. What Gokgol wrote in 1939, "Due to its high quality, Turkish wheat should attract the attention of grain buyers worldwide", is valid today and will be valid tomorrow. Therefore, Turkish wheat will keep getting attention from all wheat scientists around the world and will be the one to be considered first when a problem related to wheat production arises.
English
Aegilops squarrosa
Bread
Food crops
Hybridization
Seed production
Triticum dicoccum
Triticum polonicum
Triticum turgidum
Wheat
Yield increases
Triticum aestivum
CIMMYT
633.1147 / BED