Peer review

Changes in production and consumption patterns for wheat in China have combined with changing production constraints to induce new wheat breeding priorities since 1950. These factors together have shaped the selection of new genetic materials by wheat breeders and have in turn induced changes in the level and trends of wheat diversity in China. Using three taxonomies-namely named varieties, morphological characteristics, and pedigree data-we compared measures of spatial diversity across seven key wheat-producing provinces from 1982 to 1997. Diversity based on genealogical and morphological data has generally increased since 1982, though there have been some significant differences between provinces, with Hebei showing a higher and Sichuan showing a lower level of diversity than the other provinces. Diversity based on named varieties has not exhibited precisely the same pattern. Nevertheless, with notable exceptions, diversity at the province and national levels in China has generally been high by international standards, whichever measure is used.

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