Agricultural Biodiversity in the Tajik Pamirs

Constraints and Perspectives for Sustainable Wheat Production in Tajikistan

“…The Pamir regions are known as a rich habitat for local tree species and varieties of e.g., apple, apricot, mulberry etc. (Giuliani et al, 2011). Tajikistan is also the home of many unique wheat types, including dwarf wheat and sphere grain wheat, and of most legumes (peas, lentil, chickpea, common bean, golden bean, horse bean), and is the center of diversity for rye, mustard, flax, safflower, cotton-guza, etc.…”

Pomological and quality traits of mulberry (Morus spp.) germplasm from Gorno Badakhshan in the Western Pamir

“…Thanks to the heterogeneous environments and to a long history of sedentary agriculture, the Tajikistan territory represents a good pool of agrobiodiversity (FAO, 2010). The indigenous cultivars of fruits trees are more suitable to local conditions and show advantages in respect to the allochthone ones (Giuliani et al, 2011), confirming old ecotypes as genetic resources of significant nutritional traits (Frison et al, 2006). Among the different fruit crop cultivars in the Pamir region, 300 apricot, 60 mulberry, 33 apple, 60 pomegranate, 26 walnut and 24 pear cultivars were identified and more than 50% of each were recognized as local (FAO, 2010).…”

“…Among the different fruit crop cultivars in the Pamir region, 300 apricot, 60 mulberry, 33 apple, 60 pomegranate, 26 walnut and 24 pear cultivars were identified and more than 50% of each were recognized as local (FAO, 2010). A recent study showed all the local cultivars of fruits are preferred for the household consumption while the introduced cultivars are suitable and are preferred for the processing representing a good opportunity for the improvement of the local marketing channels (Giuliani et al, 2011). Also, the history of horticulture in the Gorno Badakhshan Autonomous Oblast (GBAO) in the Eastern part of Tajikistan can be divided into different phases: the last one is well represented by a deeper study of the fruit species genetic resources and of the methods for a wider economic development of the mountain territory to improve the food availability and the technological approach to process raw materials (Middleton, 2016).…”

“…More recently, red and black mulberry fruits are highly consumed in different countries because of their high nutritional compounds and they have gained an important position in the food industry due to the presence of anthocyanins (Ozgen et al, 2009), and other biologically active substances such as antioxidants, antimutagens and anticarcinogens (Atmakuri et al, 2009). In Tajikistan mulberry fruits are processed to obtain special traditional products such as "tut", "pikht", "bekmez" and "dosti" (respectively sun dried mulberries, ground dried mulberries, mulberry syrup and mulberry spirit), offering a good help in food consumption; however the biochemical and nutritional composition of neglected, used and commercialized cultivars is poorly known (Giuliani et al, 2011). According to previous studies to the need to balance both strategies to make conservation and commercialization of fruit cultivars (Giuliani et al, 2011), the objective of the present study was to assess the status of the mulberry biodiversity spectrum distributed in the unexplored Western Tajik Pamirs valley investigating the main morphological and biochemical characteristics of Morus spp.…”

“…In Tajikistan mulberry fruits are processed to obtain special traditional products such as "tut", "pikht", "bekmez" and "dosti" (respectively sun dried mulberries, ground dried mulberries, mulberry syrup and mulberry spirit), offering a good help in food consumption; however the biochemical and nutritional composition of neglected, used and commercialized cultivars is poorly known (Giuliani et al, 2011). According to previous studies to the need to balance both strategies to make conservation and commercialization of fruit cultivars (Giuliani et al, 2011), the objective of the present study was to assess the status of the mulberry biodiversity spectrum distributed in the unexplored Western Tajik Pamirs valley investigating the main morphological and biochemical characteristics of Morus spp. In addition with the aim of a better characterization of this genetic pool, potentially helpful in breeding and production, some important qualitative traits of the fruits were considered in few local cultivars grown in the Pamir Botanical Garden (2,320 m a.s.l.)…”