Abstract
Most of our cultivated plants have companion weed races. This phenomenon is so common that it must have some biological significance. In some cases the weeds are the progenitors of the crops, but in many cases we must look for something that could give rise to both the weed forms and the cultivated form together.
The weed races have served as reservoirs of reserve germ plasm, periodically injecting portions of it into the crop under conditions that would most favor increase in variability, heterozygosity and heterosis.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Anderson, E., 1949. Introgressive hybridization. John Wiley & Sons, New York.
Harlan, H. V., M. L. Martini, and Harland Stevens, 1940. A study of methods in barley breeding. U.S.D.A. Tech. Bul. No. 720.
Harlan, J. R., 1951. Anatomy of gene centers. Am. Nat. 85: 97–103.
Harlan, J. R., 1956. Distribution and utilization of natural variability in cultivated plants. in Genetics in Plant Breeding. Brookhaven Symposia in Biology: No. 9 pp. 191–206.
Harlan, J. R., and J. M. J.de, Wet, 1965. Some thoughts about weeds. Econ. Bot. 19: 16–24.
Mangelsdorf, P. C. and R. G., Reeves, 1959. The origin of corn: five papres commemorating the Darwin Centennial. Bot. Luseum Leaflet, Harvard Univ. 18: 329–440.
Magnelsdorf, P. C., R. S., MacNeish and W. C., Galinat, 1964. Domestication of corn. Science 143: 538–545.
Suneson, Coit A., 1956. An evolutionary plant breeding method. Agron. Journ. 48: 188–191.
Wright, S., 1931. Evolution in Mendelian populations. Genetics 16: 97–159.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Harlan, J.R. The possible role of weed races in the evolution of cultivated plants. Euphytica 14, 173–176 (1965). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00038984
Received:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00038984