Abstract
The Middle East is a geologically complex region that displays diverse topography: high mountain peaks of more than 5,000 meters and depressions of about 400 meters below sea level, elevated plateaus, mountain foothills, alluvial plains, etc. The climate contrasts in this region also differ greatly from almost rainless subtropical deserts to extremely cold high plateaus, and mild Mediterranean to extremely continental type weather. Its vegetation is comprised of dense humid forests, park-forests, dry and moist steppes and semi-deserts (Zohary 1973). In considering the geological and phytogeographical history of the Middle East, Zohary noted that since the early Pleistocene Period, man has strongly affected the natural flora and vegetation and that this influence has led to the domestication of the native plants and animals of this region. He called the last period, which began about 10,000 BC, the ‘Segetal Period’.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Preview
Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.
References
Bor, N.L. (1970). Gramineae–Triticeae. In: Flora Iranica No. 70/30, K.H. Rechinger (ed.), pp. 147–244. Akademische Druçk-u. Verlagsanstalt Graz, Austria.
Bowden, W.M. (1959). The taxonomy and nomenclature of the wheats, barleys, and ryes and their wild relatives. Can. J. Bot. 37: 657–684.
Braidwood, R.J. and B. Howe (1960). Prehistoric Investigations in Iraqi Kurdistan, Studies in Ancient Oriental Civilization. No. 30. Univ. Chicago Press, Chicago, 184 pp.
Harlan, J.R. (1975). Crops and Man. American Soc. Agronomy Inc. and Crop Sci. Soc. America Inc., Madison, 295 pp.
Harlan, J.R. and D. Zohary (1966). Distribution of wild wheats and barley. Science 153: 1074–1080.
Khush, G.S. (1963). Cytogenetic and evolutionary studies in Secale III. Cytogenetics of weedy ryes and origin of cultivated rye. Economic Botany 17: 60–71.
Kihara, H., K. Yamashita and M. Tanaka (1965). Morphological, physiological, genetical and cytological studies in Aegilops and Triticum collected from Pakistan, Afghanistan and Iran. In: The Results of the Kyoto University Scientific Expedition to the Karakoram and Hindukush, 1955, Vol. I, K. Yamashita (ed.), pp. 1–118. The Committee of the Kyoto University Scientific Expedition to the Karakoram and Hindukush, Kyoto University, Kyoto.
Nevski, S.A. (1934). Tribe Hordeae Benth. In: Flora of the U.S.S.R., Vol. Il, V.L. Komarov (ed.), pp. 590–728. Israel Program Sci. Translation, Jerusalem.
Raven, P.H. (1971). The relationships between ‘Mediterranean’ floras. In: Plant Life of South-West Asia, P.H. Davis, P.C. Harper and I.C. Hedge (eds.), pp. 119–134. Botanicall Soc., Edinburgh, Edinburgh.
Reed, C.A. (ed.) (1977). Origins of Agriculture. Mouton Publishers, The Hague, 1013 pp.
Sakamoto, S. (1973). Patterns of phylogenetic differentiation in the tribe Triticeae. Seiken Ziho 24: 11–31.
Sakamoto, S. (1974). Intergeneric hybridization among three species of Heteranthelium, Eremopyrum and Hordeum, and its significance for the genetic relationships within the tribe Triticeae. New Phytol. 73: 341–350.
Sakamoto, S. (1979). Genetic relationships among four species of the genus Eremopyrum in the tribe Triticeae, Gramineae. Memoirs Coll. Agric., Kyoto Univ. 114: 1–27.
Sakamoto, S. and T. Kawahara (1979). On the two weed species, Secale afghanicum and Avena fatua, closely associated with irrigated wheat and barley fields in Afghanistan. Weed Research, Japan 24: 36–40 (in Japanese).
Stutz, H.C. (1972). On the origin of cultivated rye. Amer. J. Bot. 59: 59–70.
Tanaka, M. and H. Ishii (1973). Cytogenetic evidence on the speciation of wild tetraploid wheats collected in Iraq, Turkey and Iran. Proc. 4th Internat. Wheat Genet. Symp., 1973, pp. 115–121.
Vavilov, N.I. (1917). On the origin of cultivated rye. Bull. Appl. Bot. and Plant Breed. 10: 561–590.
Vavilov, N.I. (1926). Studies on the Origin of Cultivated Plants. Inst. Appl. Bot. and Plant Breed., Leningrad, 248 pp.
Zohary, D. (1969). The progenitors of wheat and barley in relation to domestication and agricultural dispersal in the Old World. In: The Domestication and Exploitation of Plants and Animals, Ucko, P.J. and G.W. Dimbleby (eds.), pp. 47–66. Aldine Pub. Co., Chicago.
Zohary, D. (1971). Origin of Southwest Asiatic cereals: wheâts, barley, oats and rye. In: Plant Life of South-West Asia, P.H. Davis, P.C. Harper and I.C. Hedge (eds.), pp. 235–260. Botanical Soc., Edinburgh, Edinburgh.
Zohary, D., J.R. Harlan and A. Vardi (1969). The wild diploid progenitors of wheat and their breeding value. Euphytica 18: 58–65.
Zohary, M. (1971). Thé phytogeographical foundations of the Middle East. In: Plant Life of South-West Asia, P.H. Davis, P.C. Harper and I.C. Hedge (eds.), pp. 43–50. Botanical Soc., Edinburgh, Edinburgh.
Zohary, M. (1973). Geobotanical Foundations of the Middle East. Gustav Fischer’Verlag, Stuttgart, 739 pp.
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 1982 Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Sakamoto, S. (1982). The Middle East as a cradle for crops and weeds. In: Holzner, W., Numata, M. (eds) Biology and ecology of weeds. Geobotany, vol 2. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-017-0916-3_9
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-017-0916-3_9
Publisher Name: Springer, Dordrecht
Print ISBN: 978-90-481-8519-1
Online ISBN: 978-94-017-0916-3
eBook Packages: Springer Book Archive