Modern status of genetic resources of wild relatives of cultural plants in nut-fruit forests of south Kyrgyzstan

Abstract

In the mountains of the Western Tien-Shan (southern Kyrgyzstan) are studied by us in the world, in terms of area and variety of arboreal shrub plants, walnut-fruit forests. In the forests grow walnut, pistachio, almonds, apple, pear, plum, hawthorn, grapes, sea-buckthorn, currant, barberry and other fruit and forest species. On the diversity of the species composition of fruit plants, the Western Tien-Shan has much in common with other mountain regions of Central Asia, which is considered to be the center of origin and the depository of genetic resources of a large number of now cultivated fruit plants. Many of the ancient local varieties of such crops as walnut, apple, apricot, plum, grapes, pomegranate, almonds grown by the population in mountainous areas have a surprising similarity with their wild relatives from mountain forests.