Wheat landrace populations, collected from different altitudes of three regions of Turkey, were evaluated for variation within and among populations. Experimental material consisted of 380 accessions, from nine provinces, in Central Anatolian Plateau and North Transitions. The material was grown at HaymanaAnkara Research Farm of Central Research Institute for Field Crops in 1999-2000 planting season, in a three-meter, two-row-plot trial with three bread and three durum wheat checks. Populations were evaluated for plant height, tillers number, spike length, grains per spike, awn length, thousand kernels weight (TKW), winter survival, and days to flowering. Observations and measurements were performed on five randomly selected plants in each plots. Mean, coefficient of variation (CV), and range were computed for populations from five altitude intervals of 0-399, 400-799, 800-1199, 1200-1599, and 1600-1999 and cluster analyses were performed later. The highest variation was recorded for awn length and the lowest for number of days to flowering. First three principal components (PCs) accounted for 60.69% of the total variation. Cluster analysis for bread wheat, durum wheat, cultivated einkorn and cultivated emmer grouped the species meaningfully.

Underutilized plant species play a fundamental role in the livelihoods of poor communities living in harsh environments such as mountain areas, although they only have a small share in production and trade. Emmer ( Triticum dicoccon) is a typical example of an underutilized species suitable for development in mountain areas; it is important for food security and cultural value and has a very limited market share. This paper investigates the state of the market for emmer in mountainous areas in Turkey, where it is still produced. As is the case for many underutilized species, emmer is disappearing due to low yield compared to modern cereal varieties. Emmer is still grown in Turkey's mountains because of its hardiness and place in local food traditions; however, its competitiveness and persistence may be at risk because of changes in taste and the increased impact of global and regional markets.We examine the role of emmer production on mountain community livelihoods in Turkey and review potential market opportunities that may enhance the competitiveness of this underutilized crop, as happened, for example, in Italy. We surveyed market chain actors in Kastamonu and Sinop provinces in the Black Sea region, where few other crops are profitable because of poor soils. In Sinop province, emmer is less used and not marketed; in Kastamonu province, it is marketed and appreciated in local food traditions. Difficulties in processing, limited marketing, and lack of consumer demand are key factors in the decline of emmer cultivation. Despite emmer's adaptability to poor soils and its low input requirements, lack of market opportunities is a key factor restraining its revival and maintenance. However, there is a new market potential associated with emmer's nutritional and health properties; with growing appreciation by niche consumers, opportunities to maintain this valuable species are emerging.

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Effect of developmental stages length on yield and some quality traits of Turkish durum wheat (Triticum turgidum L. convar. durum (Desf.) Mackey) landraces: influence of developmental stages length on yield and quality of durum wheat AbstractThe study aimed at exploring durum wheat landraces to be utilized in breeding programs. 566 single durum wheat plants selected from 117 populations collected from 12 provinces were studied. The selected material was planted for characterizing their some qualitative and quantitative traits such as percent vitreousness, pearling index, grain protein content, seed yield and thousand kernel weight; as well as determining time frame for germination--maturity. Mean, coefficient of variation, and confidence intervals (0.95) were computed for each of 12 provinces, for altitudinal origins with 200 m of ranges and, for each of two geographical regions separately. The highest variation existed for number of days between T-H and the lowest for number of days between T-S. The highest variation within developmental stages was observed in samples from Diyarbakir with a CV of 32.96%, from 600 to 799 altitude range with a CV of 18.86%, and from Southeast Anatolia with a CV of 20.12%.

IntroductionWheat, the second most important agricultural crop amongst the cereals on a global scale (Rahaie et al., 2013), was the first cultivated one thousands of years ago and has kept providing staple nutrition for humans since then (Braun et al., 2001;Goutam et al., 2013;Shahzad et al., 2013). Today's global wheat production of about 670.8 million tons per year directly influences human survival and life quality (Shahzad et al., 2013) by being involved in the production of various foods, including bread, pasta, noodles, cakes, and biscuits (Eren et al., 2015).Many abiotic factors affect wheat (

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Durum wheat is historically an important crop in Turkey . Diverse durum wheat germplasm has been recorded many times in Turkish collections . 812 single plant genotypes from 190 durum wheat populations of 23 provinces in Turkey have been studied for number of days to germination, tillering, shooting, heading, maturity, and yield per plant . Variation in samples for traits studied was large enough and subsamples with different characteristics were identified . Grouping samples into provinces and altitudes of origin have revealed that variation in samples existed for some traits depending on province and altitude of origin . Yield per plant were not correlated with any of the developmental stages : but developmental stages were correlated with each other in varying magnitudes . Variation in yield per plant was not explained as well by developmental stages studied under a dry-cold environment . Further studies on samples needed to explore genetic variation more for other traits of economic importance .