The more diverse the source material used for breeding, the more great opportunities it provides for selection and hybridization. N.I. Vavilov pointed out that one of the conditions conducive to the creation of a new variety is the original varietal and species diversity. The greater this diversity, the more effective the selection results will be. But where in nature should we look for this diversity? N.I. Vavilov, with a large team of collaborators, as a result of numerous expeditions that took place on almost the entire globe, studied the diversity and geographical distribution of cultivated plants. Research was undertaken in the 20s and 30s of this century by the All-Union Institute of Plant Growing (VIR), whose director for many years was N. I. Vavilov. Several other large scientific teams also participated in this huge-scale search work. The expeditions covered the entire vast territory of the Soviet Union and many foreign countries: Iran, Afghanistan, Mediterranean countries, Abyssinia, Central Asia, Japan, North, Central and South America and some others. During these expeditions, about 1,600 species of cultivated plants were studied. The expeditions brought thousands of samples of cultivated plant seeds to the Soviet Union. They were sown in VIR nurseries located in different geographical zones of the Soviet Union. These valuable and unique collections serve as material for breeding work.

As a result of studying all this colossal material, N. I. Vavilov established a number of important patterns, showing that not all geographical zones have the same diversity of cultivated plants. For different cultures there are their own centers of diversity, where the largest number of varieties, varieties, and various hereditary deviations are concentrated. These centers of diversity are at the same time the areas of origin of the varieties of a given crop. Most centers coincide with ancient centers of agriculture. These are mostly not flat, but mountainous areas.

Such centers of diversity N.I. Vavilov initially counted 8. In later works, he distinguished 7 main centers. They are shown on the attached map.

Let us list these centers and the main cultures originating from them:

South Asian tropical center.

Tropical India, Indochina, Southern China, islands of Southeast Asia. Exceptionally rich in cultivated plants (about 1/3 known species cultivated plants). Homeland of rice, sugar cane, many fruit and vegetable crops.

East Asian Center.

Central and Eastern China, Japan, Taiwan Island, Korea. The homeland of soybeans, several types of millet, and many fruit and vegetable crops. This center is also rich in species of cultivated plants - about 20% of the world's diversity.

South-West Asian Center.

Asia Minor, Central Asia, Iran, Afghanistan, North-West India. The homeland of several forms of wheat, rye, many grains, legumes, grapes, and fruits. 14% of the world's cultural flora originated there.

Mediterranean center.

Countries located along the shores of the Mediterranean Sea. This center, where the greatest ancient civilizations were located, produced about 11% of cultivated plant species. These include olives, many forage plants (clover, single-flowered lentils), many vegetables (cabbage) and forage crops.

Abyssinian center.

A small region of the African continent with a very distinctive flora of cultivated plants. Obviously, a very ancient center of original agricultural culture. The homeland of grain sorghum, one type of banana, the oilseed chickpea plant, and a number of special forms of wheat and barley.

Central American Center.

Southern Mexico. The homeland of corn, long-fiber cotton, cocoa, a number of pumpkins, beans - in total about 90 species of cultivated plants.

Andean (South American) center.

Includes parts of the Andean mountain range along the west coast of South America. The homeland of many tuberous plants, including potatoes, some medicinal plants(coca bush, cinchona tree, etc.).

The vast majority of cultivated plants are associated with one or more of the geographic centers listed above. But there are few species that have a different origin, independent of these centers. For example, the date palm was introduced into culture in the oases of Arabia and, perhaps, the Sahara.

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If you set the task: “Name the centers of origin of cultivated plants,” then many people who are not involved in hybridization will not be able to cope with it. The article contains explanatory information.

Terminology

Centers of origin of cultivated plants are special geographical “foci”. They concentrate the genetic diversity of agricultural varieties. Centers of origin can be primary - these include areas where wild and domesticated forms originally grew - and secondary. The latter are centers that were formed from the subsequent spread of semi-cultural, cultural species plants and their further selection.

Historical information

Such a phenomenon as plant growing arose long before the advent of our era. Initially, development took place, regardless of the types of surrounding flora, in five geographically isolated areas of the planet. In general, the floristic structure of the species that were attempted to be domesticated was endemic to most areas. This forced the use of local flora. Human civilization continued its development... A period of heyday of sea and land communications between peoples living in different geographical territories began. These processes were able to accelerate the spread of fruits and seeds of endemic domesticated plants. For this reason, it is not at all easy to establish the homeland of a particular cultural species. The progress of domestication, which took place in different geographical conditions of certain territories, was subject to the laws of evolution. For example, phenomena such as random crossing and a multiple increase in the number of chromosomes against the background of natural hybridization occurred with plants. Various types of mutations also occurred.

Research findings

Based on Charles Darwin's discovery of the geographic centers of origin of different biological species a certain direction has been formed in the study of hybridization. In the 19th century, A. Decandolle published his research, in which he identified the centers of origin of cultivated plants and the territories of their original origin. In his works, these areas referred to vast continents, as well as other large-scale areas. Over the course of almost fifty years after the publication of Decandolle’s work, knowledge of the centers of origin of cultivated plants has expanded significantly. Several monographs were published that covered agricultural varieties different countries, as well as materials about individual species. Later, N.I. Vavilov took up this issue closely. Based on information about the world's flora resources, he identified the main centers of origin of cultivated plants. There are seven of them: East Asian, Mediterranean, Central American, South Asian, South-West Asian, Ethiopian and Indian. Each of them grows a certain percentage of the total variety of agricultural varieties.

Making adjustments

Some researchers, such as A.I. Kuptsov and P.M. Zhukovsky, continued the work of N.I. Vavilov. They made certain changes to his conclusions. Thus, the South-West Asian center was divided into Western and Central Asian, and Indochina and tropical India act as two independent geographical centers. The Yellow River basin is considered the basis of the East Asian center. Previously, it was the Yangtze, but the Chinese, as a people engaged in agriculture, settled in this territory much later. New Guinea and Western Sudan were also identified as agricultural areas.

Note that fruit crops, including nuts and berries, have a wide habitat. They extend much beyond the borders of the territories of origin. This phenomenon is more consistent with the teachings of Decandolle than with the others. The reason is substantiated by its predominantly forest origin, rather than foothills, which corresponds to field and vegetable varieties. Selection is also a key factor. The centers of origin of cultivated plants are now more clearly defined. Among them are the European-Siberian and Australian foci. The North American Center was also formed.

General information

In the past, certain plant species were introduced into culture outside the main foci. However, their number is relatively small. Previously, the main centers of ancient agricultural cultures were considered to be the valleys of the Nile, Euphrates, Tigris, Ganges and other large rivers. According to Vavilov's research, many agricultural varieties appeared in the mountainous zones of the tropics and subtropics. The original centers of origin of cultivated plants are closely related to floristic diversity and ancient civilizations.

Chinese section

This area includes the mountainous areas of the western and central parts of the country, with adjacent lowland areas. The basis of this center is the temperate latitudes located on the Yellow River. The local conditions are characterized by such characteristics as moderate, very high degree of moisture and high temperature conditions. The outbreak provides a natural habitat for soybeans, angular beans, kaoliang, millet, rice, oats, paiza, chumiza, Tibetan barley and many other plants.

Southeast Asian section

The Indo-Malaysian center of origin of agricultural crops is complemented by the Indian region. It includes territories such as Indochina, the entire Malay Archipelago and the Philippines. Hindustan and Chinese center The origins of cultivated plants had some impact on this area. Local conditions are characterized by year-round vegetation, extremely high humidity and temperature. The area is natural environment habitats for nutmeg, cardamom, orange, bergamot, black pepper, mangosteen, betel, lime and many other species.

Indian section

It is also called the Hindustan hotspot and includes the Indian state of Assam, Burma and the entire Hindustan peninsula, excluding the northwestern states of India. The local climate contributes to a long growing season, high level temperature and humidity. The region was influenced by the Indo-Malay center. Citrus fruits, rice and many other representatives of the flora grow in this area.

Central Asian section

This focus includes the lands of the Western Tien Shan, Tajikistan, the northern part of Pakistan, Uzbekistan, Afghanistan and the northwestern part of India. Local conditions are characterized by a moderate growing season, high temperatures with strong seasonal and daily fluctuations and very low levels of moisture. This area experienced strong influence from the Western Asian and Chinese centers. For this reason, it is a secondary focus for most of the local fruit varieties.

Western Asian section

The outbreak is located in. Its region includes the territories of mountainous Turkmenistan, the entire Transcaucasus, Iran and the interior of Asia Minor. The local climate is characterized by long dry periods, high temperatures and very low level humidity. This area was influenced by the Central Asian and Mediterranean centers. The boundaries of these three foci are closely intertwined, so they are almost impossible to determine.

South American Center of Origin of Cultivated Plants

These areas include the mountainous zones and plateaus of Bolivia, Ecuador, Colombia and Peru. Local conditions are characterized by insufficient moisture and very high temperatures. The Central American center had some influence on this area.

Judging by a comparison of the genetics of cultivated and wild wheat, the most likely area of ​​origin of cultivated wheat is located near the modern city of Diyarbakir in southeastern Turkey. Analysis of ancient spikelets found by archaeologists shows that in the period from 10,200 to 6,500 years ago, wheat was gradually domesticated - the percentage of grains carrying a gene that gives resistance to shedding gradually increased.

Buckwheat
Buckwheat is native to Northern India, where it is called “black rice.” In the 15th century BC. e. it penetrated into China, Korea and Japan, then into the countries of Central Asia, the Middle East, the Caucasus and only then into Europe

Rice
Grows mainly in the tropics and subtropics of Asia, rice (Oryza sativa), which is one of the oldest food crops. Its domestication occurred about 9 thousand years ago.

Barley
The oldest examples of cultivated barley were found in Syria and belong to one of the oldest Neolithic cultures before the ceramic period. It is also found in the most ancient Egyptian tombs. Like wheat, it was domesticated during the Neolithic revolution in the Middle East at least 10 thousand years ago.

Corn
Corn was introduced into culture 7-12 thousand years ago in the territory of modern Mexico.

In the photo: on the left is the wild ancestor of corn - Teosinte, on the right is domesticated corn.

Agree, it’s not a bad idea to domesticate an inconspicuous weed.

Potato
The homeland of potatoes is South America, where you can still find wild potatoes. The introduction of potatoes into culture (first through the exploitation of wild thickets) began approximately 14 thousand years ago.

Turnip
Western Asia is considered its homeland. This is one of the oldest cultivated plants. Turnips were introduced into culture about 40 centuries ago. The ancient Egyptians and Greeks cultivated turnips widely, but considered them food for slaves and the poorest peasants.

N.I. Vavilov identified 7 centers of origin of cultivated plants.

1. South Asian tropical (Indian, or Indonesian-Indochinese).

2. East Asian (Chinese, or Sino-Japanese).

3. South-West Asian (Foremost Asian and Central Asian).

4. Mediterranean.

5. Abyssinian (Ethiopian).

6. Central American (South Mexican, or Central American).

7. South American (Andean).

The centers of origin of the most important cultivated plants are associated with ancient centers of civilization and places of plant selection.

Center name	Geographical position	Cultivated plants
South Asian tropical	Tropical India, Indochina, Southern China, islands of Southeast Asia	Rice, sugarcane, cucumber, eggplant, black pepper, banana, sugar palm, sago palm, breadfruit, tea, lemon, orange, mango, jute, etc. (50% cultivated plants)
East Asian	Central and Eastern China, Japan, Korea, Taiwan	Soybean, millet, buckwheat, plum, cherry, radish, mulberry, kaoliang, hemp, persimmon, Chinese apples, opium poppy, rhubarb, cinnamon, olive, etc. (20% of cultivated plants)
South-West Asian	Asia Minor, Central Asia, Iran, Afghanistan, South-West India	Soft wheat, rye, flax, hemp, turnip, carrots, garlic, grapes, apricot, pear, peas, beans, melon, barley, oats, cherries, spinach, basil, walnuts, etc. (14% of cultivated plants)
Mediterranean	Countries along the Mediterranean Sea	Cabbage, sugar beet, olive (olive), clover, single-flowered lentils, lupine, onion, mustard, rutabaga, asparagus, celery, dill, sorrel, caraway seeds, etc. (11% of cultivated plants)
Abyssinian	Ethiopian Highlands of Africa	Durum wheat, barley, a coffee tree, grain sorghum, bananas, chickpeas, watermelon, castor beans, etc.
Central American	Southern Mexico	Corn, long-staple cotton, cocoa, pumpkin, tobacco, beans, red peppers, sunflowers, sweet potatoes, etc.
South American	South America along the West Coast	Potatoes, pineapple, cinchona, cassava, tomatoes, peanuts, coca bush, garden strawberries and etc.

As modern data indicate, the centers of origin of animals and the areas of their domestication, or domestication (from the Latin domesticus - domestic), are the territories of ancient civilizations.

In the Indonesian-Indochina center, animals that did not form large herds were apparently domesticated for the first time: dogs, pigs, chickens, geese, and ducks. Moreover, the dog, most of whose breeds are descended from the wolf, is one of the most ancient domestic animals.

In Western Asia, it is believed that sheep were domesticated, their ancestors being the wild mouflon sheep. Goats were domesticated in Asia Minor. Domestication of the aurochs, a now extinct species, probably occurred in several areas of Eurasia. As a result, numerous breeds of cattle arose. The ancestors of the domestic horse, the tarpan, were finally exterminated at the end of the 19th and beginning of the 20th centuries, and were domesticated in the steppes of the Black Sea region. In the American centers of plant origin, animals such as llama, alpaca, and turkey were domesticated.

Sheep
Sheep were domesticated by humans already in ancient times, more than 8 thousand years ago in the territory of modern Turkey, Syria, and northern Mesopotamia.

Pigs
The pig was domesticated by humans about 7,000 years ago (according to some studies, much earlier), and was distributed mainly in Western countries, East Asia and Oceania.

Cows
Domestication began during the Early Neolithic, approximately 8,500 years ago, following the domestication of goats, sheep and pigs. Domestication took place in the Altai-India-Iran triangle. Tur in Central Asia and zebu in Hindustan were selected. Genetic studies carried out in 1994 showed that modern cows do not belong to the same ancestral line, as was long believed. Possibly full genome decoding cows, completed in 2009, will add to our knowledge in this matter.

Thanks to Wikipedia and other online reference books and dictionaries. From the generally known data it is clear how simultaneously a boom in plant cultivation took place in different places on the Earth. And what can we boast about over the past few thousand years? Humanity has only recently approached genetic engineering and began producing genetically modified products.

Dawn Agriculture and the construction boom on Earth occurred in the same countries and at the same time. The people of Earth did not have regular connections with each other, otherwise we would not have such a significant difference in architectural styles in different parts of the Earth. Despite the fact that the construction principles are the same. Agriculture is also experiencing rapid development, but the cultures are different.

Why did this happen and develop rapidly? In different places on Earth and in different times did this development flare up, then fade out, and eventually fade away completely? The answer lies in the formation and development of religion.

Science, religion, magic are spheres of human activity aimed at developing and theoretically systematizing objective knowledge about reality. Their goals and objectives are identical: collecting, analyzing life experience and passing it on to make people’s lives easier.

Religion is a special form of awareness of the world, which includes a set of moral norms and types of behavior, rituals, religious activities and the unification of people in organizations.

At one time, priests took over this function. When the priests found a way to influence material objects with sound, we can only guess. But let's take a closer look at how they worked with sound.

Could the priests be very different from other homo-sapiens?

Archeology has not found high-tech tools. Not in Egypt, not in America, not anywhere else. This means they were equal in terms of development. The priests differed from the laity in their acquired unique abilities. But not much".

There was a significant difference in one “little thing” - in the structure of the vocal cords and something else (more about this in the second article, the link will be at the bottom of the page). Typically, the vocal cords of homo sapiens produce sound vibrations in the frequency range from 16-20 Hz to 15-20 kHz. And the vocal cords of the priests produced sound in a much wider range. Including at the ultrasound level.

Data taken from Wikipedia (ru.wikipedia.org)

Selection of materials and idea - Dolzhenko S.N.

Centers of origin of cultivated plants

Groups of cultivated plants by origin

Among the flora of the globe, there is a significant number (more than 2500) species of a group of plants cultivated by humans and called cultivated. Cultivated plants and the agrophytocenoses formed by them replaced meadow and forest communities. They are the result of human agricultural activity, which began 7-10 thousand years ago. Wild plants that become cultivated inevitably reflect a new stage in their life. The branch of biogeography that studies the distribution of cultivated plants, their adaptation to soil and climatic conditions in various regions of the globe and includes elements of agricultural economics is called the geography of cultivated plants.

According to their origin, cultivated plants are divided into three groups: the youngest group, weed-field species and the most ancient group.

1. The youngest group of cultivated plants comes from species that still live in the wild. For plants of this group, it is not necessary to establish the center of the beginning of their cultivation. special labor. These include fruit and berry crops(apple tree, pear, plum, cherry, gooseberry, currant, raspberry, strawberry), all melons, some root vegetables (beets, rutabaga, radishes, turnips).

2. Field weed species became objects of culture where the main crop produced low yields due to unfavorable natural conditions. Thus, with the advancement of agriculture to the north, winter rye replaced wheat; Camelina, an oilseed crop widespread in Western Siberia, used to obtain vegetable oil, is a weed in flax crops.

3. For the most ancient cultivated plants, it is impossible to establish the time when their cultivation began, since their wild ancestors have not been preserved. These include sorghum, millet, peas, beans, beans, and lentils.

The need for source material for the selection and improvement of varieties of cultivated plants led to the creation of the doctrine of their centers of origin. The teaching was based on Charles Darwin's idea of ​​the existence of geographical centers of origin of biological species. The geographical areas of origin of the most important cultivated plants were first described in 1880 by the Swiss botanist A. Decandolle. According to his ideas, they covered quite vast territories, including entire continents. The most important research in this direction, half a century later, was carried out by the remarkable Russian geneticist and botanical geographer N.I. Vavilov (1887-1943), who studied the centers of origin of cultivated plants on a scientific basis.

Differentiated method of N. I. Vavilov

N.I. Vavilov proposed a new method, which he called differentiated, for establishing the initial center of origin of cultivated plants, which consists in the following. A collection of the plant of interest collected from all places of cultivation is studied using morphological, physiological and genetic methods. Thus, the area of ​​concentration of the maximum diversity of forms, characteristics and varieties of a given species is determined. Ultimately, it is possible to establish centers of introduction into culture of a particular species, which may not coincide with the territory of its widespread cultivation, but are located at considerable distances (several thousand kilometers) from it. Moreover, the centers of origin of cultivated plants currently cultivated on the plains of temperate latitudes sometimes turn out to be in mountainous regions.

Striving to put genetics and selection to work National economy countries, N.I. Vavilov and his associates during numerous expeditions in 1926-1939. collected a collection of about 250 thousand specimens of cultivated plants. As the scientist emphasized, he was mainly interested in plants of temperate zones, since the enormous plant wealth of South Asia, Tropical Africa, Central America and Brazil, unfortunately, can only be used on a limited scale in our country.

Geographical centers of origin of cultivated plants

For the emergence of a large source of origin of cultivated plants

N. I. Vavilov believed a necessary condition In addition to the wealth of wild flora and species suitable for cultivation, there is the presence of an ancient agricultural civilization. The scientist came to the conclusion that the vast majority of cultivated plants are associated 7 the main geographical centers of their origin: South Asian tropical, East Asian, South-West Asian, Mediterranean, Ethiopian, Central American and Andean.

Outside these centers there was a significant territory that required further study in order to identify new centers of domestication of the most valuable representatives of wild flora. The followers of N.I. Vavilov - A.I. Kuptsov and A.M. Zhukovsky continued research into the study of the centers of cultivated plants. Ultimately, the number of centers and the territory they covered increased significantly; there were 12 of them.

Brief characteristics of the centers

1. Chinese-Japanese. World crop production owes the origin of many cultivated species to East Asia. Among them are rice, multi-row and hulless barley, millet, chumiza, hulless oats, beans, soybeans, radishes, many types of apple trees, pears and onions, apricots, very valuable types of plums, oriental persimmon, possibly orange, mulberry tree, sugar cane Chinese, tea tree, short-staple cotton.

2. Indonesian-Indochine. This is the center of many cultivated plants - some varieties of rice, bananas, breadfruit, coconut and sugar palms, sugar cane, yams, Manila hemp, the largest and tallest types of bamboo.

3.Australian. Australia's flora has given the world the fastest growing woody plants- eucalyptus and acacia. 9 wild cotton species, 21 wild tobacco species and several types of rice have also been identified here. In general, the flora of this continent is poor in wild edible plants, especially with juicy fruits. Currently, crop production in Australia almost entirely uses crops of foreign origin.

4. Hindustan. The Hindustan Peninsula was of great importance in the development of crop production in ancient Egypt, Sumer and Assyria. This is the birthplace of common wheat, an Indian subspecies of rice, some varieties of beans, eggplant, cucumber, jute, sugar cane, and Indian hemp. Wild species of apple, tea tree and banana are common in the mountain forests of the Himalayas. The Indo-Gangetic Plain is a huge plantation of cultivated plants of world importance - rice, sugar cane, jute, peanuts, tobacco, tea, coffee, banana, pineapple, coconut palm, oil flax. The Deccan plateau is famous for its orange and lemon crops.

5. Central Asian. On the territory of the center - from the Persian Gulf, the Hindustan Peninsula and the Himalayas in the south to the Caspian and Aral seas, lake. Balkhash in the north, including the Turan Lowland, is of particular importance fruit trees. Since ancient times, apricots, walnuts, pistachios, oleaster, almonds, pomegranates, figs, peach, grapes, and wild apple trees have been cultivated here. Some varieties of wheat, onions, primary types of carrots and small-seeded forms of legumes (peas, lentils, fava beans) also arose here. The ancient inhabitants of Sogdiana (modern Tajikistan) developed high-sugar varieties of apricots and grapes. Wild apricot still grows in abundance in the mountains of Central Asia. The varieties of melons bred in Central Asia are the best in the world, especially the Chardzhou melons, which remain suspended throughout the year.

6. Near Asian. The center includes Transcaucasia, Asia Minor (except for the coast), the historical region of Western Asia Palestine and the Arabian Peninsula. From here come wheat, two-row barley, oats, the primary crop of peas, cultivated forms of flax and leeks, some types of alfalfa and melons. It is the primary center of the date palm, home to quince, cherry plum, plum, cherry and dogwood. Nowhere in the world is there such an abundance of wild wheat species. In Transcaucasia, the process of the origin of cultivated rye from field weeds, which still infests wheat crops, has been completed. As wheat moves north, winter rye, as a more winter-hardy and unpretentious plant, has become a pure culture.

7. Mediterranean. This center includes the territory of Spain, Italy, Yugoslavia, Greece and the entire northern coast of Africa. Western and Eastern Mediterranean - homeland wild grapes and the primary center of its culture. Wheat, legumes, flax, and oats evolved here (oats with stable immunity to fungal diseases survived in the wild in Spain on sandy soils). In the Mediterranean, the cultivation of lupine, flax, and clover began. A typical element of the flora has become olive Tree, which became a culture in ancient Palestine and Egypt.

8. African. It is characterized by a variety of natural conditions from moist evergreen forests to savannas and deserts. At first, only local species were used in crop production, and then those introduced from America and Asia. Africa is the birthplace of all types of watermelon, the center of cultivation of rice and millet, yams, some types of coffee, oil and date palms, cotton and other cultivated plants. The origin of the tableware pumpkin kulebasa, cultivated everywhere in Africa, but unknown in the wild, raises questions. A special role in the evolution of wheat, barley and other grain plants belongs to Ethiopia, on whose territory their wild ancestors did not exist. All of them were borrowed by farmers already cultivated from other centers.

9. European-Siberian. It covers the territory of all of Europe, except the Iberian Peninsula, the British Isles and the tundra zone; in Asia it reaches the lake. Baikal. The emergence of sugar beet crops, red and white clovers, and northern, yellow and blue alfalfa is associated with it. The main significance of the center lies in the fact that European and Siberian apple trees, pears, cherries, forest grapes, blackberries, strawberries, currants and gooseberries were cultivated here, the wild relatives of which are still common in local forests.

10. Central American. He occupies territory North America, bounded by the northern borders of Mexico, California and the Isthmus of Panama. In ancient Mexico, intensive crop production developed with the main food crops being corn and some types of beans. Pumpkin, sweet potato, cocoa, pepper, sunflower, Jerusalem artichoke, shag and agave were also cultivated here. Nowadays, wild potato species are found in the center.

11. South American. Its main territory is concentrated in the Andes mountain system with rich volcanic soils. The Andes are the birthplace of ancient Indian potato species and various types tomatoes, peanuts, melon tree, cinchona tree, pineapple, rubber plant hevea, Chilean strawberry. Long-staple cotton originated in South America. There are many wild species tobacco

12. North American. Its territory coincides with the territory of the United States. It is particularly interesting primarily as the center of a large number of wild grape species, many of which are resistant to phylloxera and fungal diseases. The center is home to over 50 wild herbaceous species of sunflower and the same number of species of lupine, about 15 species of plums, large-fruited cranberries and highbush blueberries have been cultivated, the first plantations of which have recently appeared in Belarus.

Secondary centers of plant origin

The problem of the origin of cultivated plants is quite complex, since sometimes it is impossible to establish their homeland and wild ancestors. Often a cultivated plant occupies large areas and is of great importance in crop production not in the center of cultivation, but far beyond its borders. In this case, they speak of secondary centers of cultivated plants. Let us give examples of secondary centers.

1. For rye from Transcaucasia and Chilean potatoes, this is the temperate zone of Eurasia.

2. Peanuts from Northern Argentina are Africa.

3. Soybean is of Manchurian origin - this is the USA, where it occupies an area of ​​about 20 million hectares.

4. Peruvian long-staple cotton is from Egypt.

Centers (foci) of origin of cultivated plants- geographic centers of genetic diversity of cultivated plants. They can be primary (the area of ​​initial growth of wild forms and domestication) and secondary (as a result of the further spread of cultivated and semi-cultivated plants and subsequent selection).

1. South Asian tropical center (about 33% of the total number of cultivated plant species).

2. East Asian center (20% of cultivated plants).

3. South-West Asian center (4% of cultivated plants).

4. Mediterranean center (approximately 11% of cultivated plant species).

5. Ethiopian center (about 4% of cultivated plants).

6. Central American center (approximately 10%)

7. Andean (South American) center (about 8%)

Some plants were introduced into cultivation in the past outside these main centers, but the number of such plants is small. If previously it was believed that the main centers of ancient agricultural crops were the wide valleys of the Tigris, Euphrates, Ganges, Nile and other large rivers, then Vavilov showed that almost all cultivated plants appeared in the mountainous regions of the tropics, subtropics and temperate zones. The main geographical centers of the initial introduction into culture of most cultivated plants are associated not only with floristic richness, but also with ancient civilizations.

Chinese (East Asian) Center

The Chinese center covers the mountainous regions of central and western China with adjacent lowland areas. The basis of this focus is the temperate zone along the Yellow River. Characterized by relatively high temperature conditions, very high degree of moisture, moderate growing season.

• Rice - Japanese variety
• Zinke or Zinke (Tibetan barley) - naked variety
• Millet
• Chumiza
• Kaoliang
• Paisa (Echinochloa frumentacea) - Japanese millet, wild millet, barnyard grass, annual plant family of cereals.
• Adzuki or Angular bean (Vigna angularis)
• Oats - naked variety
• Radish - Daikon and Loba
• Chinese cabbage(Brassica pekinensis)
• Chinese cabbage(Brassica chinensis)
• Asparagus salad (Lactuca asparagus)
• Onion
• Sweet onion
• Short-staple cotton (woody form) - controversial
• Perilla
• Actinidia - primary focus
• Walnut
• Hazel
• Mandarin
• Kinkan
• Persimmon
• Schisandra
• chinese bitter gourd
• Unabi
• Tea tree
• Tung wood
• White Mulberry (Mulberry)
• camphor laurel
• Bamboo - some types
• Ginseng
• Chinese artichoke
• Sugar cane- local varieties
• Loquat japonica (Loqua)
• Ropeman
• Purple raspberry
• Red voskovnitsa

The center is also the primary focus shaping subfamilies Apple and Plum and the genera of their components (not to be confused with the centers of origin of cultivated plants/domestication/cultivation), including:

• Apple tree
• Pear
• Apricot
• Cherry
• Plum
• Almond
• Peach
• Hawthorn

Indo-Malay (Southeast Asian) center

The Indo-Malayan Center complements the Indian Center of Origin of cultivated plants, including the entire Malay Archipelago, the Philippines and Indochina. Very high humidity and temperature, year-round vegetation. Experienced some influence from the Chinese and Hindustani centers

• Rice is the primary focus
• Breadfruit
• Banana
• Coconut palm
• Sugar palm
• Sago palm
• Areca
• Sugarcane - in collaboration with Hindustan Center
• Shaddock
• Durian
• Manila hemp
• Pak choi
• Wax gourd
• China - debatable
• Lemon - secondary focus
• Pomelo
• Bergamot
• Pomeranian
• Betel
• Cardamom
• Mangosteen
• Allspice
• Black pepper
• Nutmeg
• Longan
• Trichosanth
• Kajura

Indian (Hindustan) center

The Indian (Hindustan) center covers the Hindustan Peninsula, excluding the northwestern states of India, as well as Burma and the Indian state of Assam. It is characterized by fairly high humidity and high temperatures, as well as a long growing season. Experienced some influence from the Indo-Malayan center (rice, sugarcane, citrus)

• Eggplant
• Cucumber
• Orange - possibly a secondary focus
• Lemon - primary focus
• Citron
• Rice - Indian variety
• Dagussa
• Golden beans
• Dolichos
• Luffa
• Sugarcane - in association with Indo-Malay Center
• Kenaf
• Sharozern wheat
• Mango
• Coconut palm - secondary focus
• Endive
• Escarole
• Basil
• Gray mustard
• Opium poppy
• Buckwheat
• Sugar Palm - in association with Indo-Malay Center
• Short-staple cotton - controversial

Central Asian center

The Central Asian center includes the northwestern part of India (Punjab), the northern part of Pakistan, Afghanistan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan and the Western Tien Shan. Very low moisture (often groundwater), fairly high temperatures with strong daily and seasonal fluctuations, moderate duration of the growing season (rainy season). This center experienced a very strong influence from Chinese and Western Asia. So, for almost everything that happened here fruit crops it is secondary.

• Wheat - some hexaploid species ( Triticum compactum, Triticum inflatum)
• Lentils - small grain variety
• Lucerne - together with the Western Asian Center
• Apricot - secondary outbreak
• Grapes are one of the hotbeds
• Almond - secondary focus
• Pistachio - secondary outbreak
• Apple tree - secondary focus
• Pear - secondary focus
• Cherry - secondary focus
• Plum - secondary focus
• Walnut - secondary focus
• Garnet - secondary focus
• Figs - secondary outbreak
• Bulb onions
• Slime Bow
• Chives
• Aflatun onion
• Multi-tiered onion
• Garlic is the main (possibly primary) focus
• Golden beans - secondary focus
• Chickpea - secondary focus
• Hemp

Western Asian center

The Western Asian center is concentrated in Western Asia, and includes the territory of the Fertile Crescent, including internal Asia Minor, the entire Transcaucasus, Iran and mountainous Turkmenistan. Very low humidity, high temperatures (unlike the Central Asian and Mediterranean centers are rare negative temperatures), prolonged dry periods. Experienced the influence of the Mediterranean and Central Asian centers. It is almost impossible to determine the boundaries of these three centers, since they overlap greatly.

• Wheat - most types. Including:
• Triticum aestivum - soft
• Triticum turgidum- obese
• Triticum polonicum- Polish
• And all three types of Spelled:
• Spelled - Spelled itself
• Emmer - Emerald
• Einkorn- the oldest known cultivated plant
• Barley - two-row
• Oats - secondary focus
• Peas
• Flax - oilseed forms
• Lallemancia
• Lucerne - jointly with the Central Asian Center
• Plum - primary focus
• Hazelnut
• Dogwood
• Apple tree - secondary focus
• Pear is one of the main foci
• Cherry - secondary focus
• Cherry plum
• Figs - primary focus
• German medlar - together with the Mediterranean Center.
• Walnut - secondary focus
• Chestnut
• Grapes are one of the hotbeds
• Bird cherry is the main focus
• Pistachio
• Persimmon - secondary focus
• Hawthorn - secondary focus
• Apricot - secondary outbreak
• Cherry - secondary outbreak
• Date palm
• Leek
• Melon - secondary center
• Pasternak - primary center
• Spinach
• Salad - in collaboration with the Mediterranean Center.
• Watercress
• Tarragon - debatable
• Savory - together with the Mediterranean Center.
• Marjoram - together with the Mediterranean Center.
• Lovage
• Aegilops
• Sainfoin
• Mogar - debatable
• Barberry

Mediterranean center

Mediterranean center - Balkans, Greece, Italy and most of the Mediterranean coast. It is characterized by a not very long growing season (especially its northern parts), sufficient moisture and moderate temperatures. Experienced the influence of the Western Asian center.