ISHS Acta Horticulturae 182: I International Symposium on Taxonomy of Cultivated Plants
THE GENUS BETA: DOMESTICATION, TAXONOMY AND INTERSPECIFIC HYBRIDIZATION FOR PLANT BREEDING |
| Author: | Th.S.M. de Bock |
| DOI: | 10.17660/ActaHortic.1986.182.41 |
| Abstract:
The beet crop was domesticated as a leaf beet in the Mediterranean area from wild forms without swollen roots or hypocotyls. Through cultivation types with swollen roots were developed. The diversity of forms of sugar beet, fodder beet and garden beet originated mainly in north-western Europe. Sugar beet have been cultivated for less than 200 years and originated from a limited range of beet types. Broadening the genetic base of the crop through interspecific hybridization is important for future breeding. The species of genus Beta are grouped in four sections, which conforms well with the rate of crossability and possibilities of introgression. The sections are being discussed, with special attention to the potentials for sugar beet breeding. | |
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