Schriften zu Genetischen Ressourcen - Genres

A.A. FILATENKO, K. PISTRICK, H. KNÜPFFER and K. HAMMER
“Es ist dagegen eingewendet worden, die Aufstellung und Benennung so vieler
Varietäten erschwere die Übersicht. Es läßt sich aber die Mannigfaltigkeit einer Sippe
allgemein nur so erfassen und darstellen, daß man die unterscheidbaren Untergruppen
beschreibt und benennt. Solche gibt es bei polymorphen Sippen eben sehr
viele.” [“It has been objected that the setting up and naming of so many varieties
complicates the overall view. However, in general, the diversity of a group can only
be grasped and displayed by describing and naming the subgroups that can be distinguished,
of which there are very many in polymorphic species.”] (MANSFELD 1951,
p. 41).
SINSKAYA (1966) continued VAVILOV’s work to establish the boundaries of the centres
of origin of cultivated plants and to specify the relationships between these centres
(areas). At present, botanical investigations concerning centres of origin continue,
and the collections made are being thoroughly studied. Many amendments can be
made to VAVILOV’S theories concerning the centres of origin of cultivated plants but all
amount only to correction of details: “The basic composition of cultivated plants, typical
of a particular centre, remains stable” (SINSKAYA 1966). With respect to the historical
character of VAVILOV’S work, SINSKAYA draws our attention to the prevalent use
of the terms “historical-geographical area” and “geographical areas of historical development”
(of a cultivated flora) which appear regularly in VAVILOV’S papers (1924-
1940; see FILATENKO et al. 1999). This is the main new item in her methodological
approach.
Tab. 1: Basic areas of historical development of the flora of cultivated plants
(after SINSKAYA 1966, 1969)
Area Sub-Area
I. Ancient
Mediterranean
II. East Asia
III. South Asia
IV. Africa
I.1. Southwest Asia
I.1.1. Anterior Asia (western Southwest Asia: Transcaucasus,
Asia Minor, Near East, Iraq, West Iran)
I.1.2. Middle Asia (eastern Southwest Asia: Turkestan, Afghanistan,
East Iran, Northwest India, Pakistan)
I.2. Mediterranean
II.1. Northeast Asia (Japan, Manchuria)
II.2. Southeast and Central China
III.1. South China, India and Sri Lanka
III.2. Malesia
V. New World V.1. Central America
V.2. South America
225