Vavilov center
A Vavilov centre or centre of origin is a geographical area where a group of organisms, either domesticated or wild, first developed its distinctive properties. Centers of origin were first identified in 1924 by Nikolai Vavilov. Vavilov posited that the center of origin for a species or genus is the same as its center of diversity, the geographic area where it has the highest genetic diversity, but this equivalence has been disputed by later scholars.
Plants
Locating the origin of crop plants is basic to plant breeding. This allows one to locate wild relatives, related species, and new genes.Knowledge of the origins of crop plants is important in order to avoid genetic erosion, the loss of germplasm due to the loss of ecotypes and landraces, loss of habitat, and increased urbanization. Germplasm preservation is accomplished through gene banks and preservation of natural habitats.
Vavilov centers
A Vavilov Center is a region of the world first indicated by Nikolai Vavilov to be an original center for the domestication of plants. For crop plants, Nikolai Vavilov identified differing numbers of centers: three in 1924, five in 1926, six in 1929, seven in 1931, eight in 1935 and reduced to seven again in 1940.Vavilov argued that plants were not domesticated somewhere in the world at random, but that there were regions where domestication started. The center of origin is also considered the center of diversity.
Schery (1972) and Janick (2002)
Vavilov centers are regions where a high diversity of crop wild relatives can be found, representing the natural relatives of domesticated crop plants.| Center | Subcenter | Plants | ||
| 1) South Mexican and Central American Center Includes southern sections of Mexico, Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras and Costa Rica. | Grains and Legumes: maize, common bean, lima bean, tepary bean, jack bean, grain amaranthMelon Plants: malabar gourd, winter pumpkin, chayoteFiber Plants: upland cotton, bourbon cotton, henequen Miscellaneous: sweetpotato, arrowroot, pepper, papaya, guava, cashew, wild black cherry, chochenial, cherry tomato, cacao. | |||
| 2) South American Center 62 plants listed; three subcenters | 2) Peruvian, Ecuadorean, Bolivian Subcenter | Root Tubers: Andean potato, Other endemic cultivated potato species. Fourteen or more species with chromosome numbers varying from 24 to 60, Edible nasturtiumGrains and Legumes: starchy maize, lima bean, common beanRoot Tubers: edible canna, potatoVegetable Crops: pepino, tomato, ground cherry, pumpkin, pepperFibre Plants: Egyptian cottonFruit and Miscellaneous: cocoa, passion flower, guava, heilborn, quinine tree, tobacco, cherimoya, coca | ||
| 2) South American Center 62 plants listed; three subcenters | 2A) Chiloé Subcenter |
| 2B) Brazilian-Paraguayan Subcenter | |
| 3) Mediterranean Center Includes all of Southern Europe and Northern Africa bordering the Mediterranean Sea. 84 listed plants | Grains and Legumes: durum wheat, emmer, Polish wheat, spelt, Mediterranean oats, sand oats, canarygrass, grass pea, pea, lupineForage Plants: Egyptian clover, white clover, crimson clover, serradellaOil and Fibre Plants: flax, rape, black mustard, oliveVegetables: garden beet, cabbage, turnip, lettuce, asparagus, celery, chicory, parsnip, rhubarb,Ethereal Oil and Spice Plants: caraway, anise, thyme, peppermint, sage, hop. | |||
| 4) Middle East Includes interior of Asia Minor, all of Transcaucasia, Iran, and the highlands of Turkmenistan. 83 species | Grains and Legumes: einkorn wheat, durum wheat, poulard wheat, common wheat, oriental wheat, Persian wheat, two-row barley, rye, Mediterranean oats, common oats, lentil, lupineForage Plants: alfalfa, Persian clover, fenugreek, vetch, hairy vetchFruits: fig, pomegranate, apple, pear, quince, cherry, hawthorn. | |||
| 5) Abyssinian Center Includes Ethiopia, Eritrea, and part of Somalia. 38 species listed; rich in wheat and barley. | Grains and Legumes: Abyssinian hard wheat, poulard wheat, emmer, Polish wheat, barley, grain sorghum, pearl millet, African millet, cowpea, flax, teffMiscellaneous: sesame, castor bean, garden cress, coffee, okra, myrrh, indigo, enset. | |||
| 6) Central Asiatic Center Includes Northwest India, Afghanistan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, and western Tian-Shan. 43 plants | Grains and Legumes: common wheat, club wheat, shot wheat, peas, lentil, horse bean, chickpea, mung bean, mustard, flax, sesameFiber Plants: hemp, cottonVegetables: onion, garlic, spinach, carrotFruits: pistachio, pear, almond, grape, apple. | |||
| 7) Indian Center Two subcenters | 7) Indo-Burma Subcenter Main Center : Includes Assam, Bangladesh and Burma, but not Northwest India, Punjab, nor Northwest Frontier Provinces, 117 plants | Grains and Legumes: chickpea, pigeon pea, urd bean, mung bean, rice bean, cowpea,Vegetables and Tubers: eggplant, cucumber, radish, taro, yamFruits: mango, tangerine, citron, tamarindSugar, Oil, and Fibre Plants: sugar cane, coconut palm, sesame, safflower, tree cotton, oriental cotton, jute, crotalaria, kenafSpices, Stimulants, Dyes, and Miscellaneous: hemp, black pepper, gum arabic, sandalwood, indigo, cinnamon tree, croton, bamboo, turmeric | ||
| 7) Indian Center Two subcenters | 7A) Siam-Malaya-Java Subcenter statt Indo-Malayan Center Includes Indo-China and the Malay Archipelago, 55 plants | Grains and Legumes: Job's tears, velvet beanFruits: pomelo, banana, breadfruit, mangosteenOil, Sugar, Spice, and Fibre Plants: candlenut, coconut palm, sugarcane, clove, nutmeg, black pepper, manila hemp. | ||
| 8) Chinese Center A total of 136 endemic plants in the largest independent center | Grains and Legumes: rice, broomcorn millet, Italian millet, Japanese barnyard millet, sorghum, buckwheat, hull-less barley, soybean, Adzuki bean, velvet beanRoots, Tubers, and Vegetables: Chinese yam, radish, Chinese cabbage, onion, cucumberFruits and Nuts: pear, Chinese apple, peach, apricot, cherry, walnut, litchi, orangeSugar, Drug, and Fibre Plants:''' sugar cane, opium poppy, ginseng camphor, hemp. |