Origin and Geography of Cultivated Plants

About this book

The work of Nickolay Ivanovich Vavilov has formed the basis of much of the study of plant genetic resources that is carried out. In recognition of his contribution to plant science, and to commemorate the centenary of his birth, a collection of all of Vavgilov's works on the origin and geography of cultivated plant species was published in Russian in 1987.

This English translation sees the publication of these seminal papers in their original form, but not original language, for the first time. The structure of the book, with papers arranged in chronological order from 1920 to 1940, provides a unique opportunity to retrace both the development Vavilov's theories on cultivated plants and his gradual creation of a definite terminology.

The book will be of great interest to all those concerned with the development of cultivated plant species, not only in terms of the history of this discipline and its status, but also its future direction.

Contents

1. On the Eastern centers of origin of cultivated plants; 2. On the origin of cultivated plants; 3. Centers of origin of cultivated plants; 4. Geographical regularities in relation to the distribution of the genes of cultivated plants; 5. Universal centers of a wealth of types of cultivated plants; 6. The problem concerning the origin of cultivated plants as presently understood; 7. The problem concerning the origin of agriculture in the light of recent research; 8. The role of Central Asia in the origin of cultivated plants; 9. Mexico and Central America as a basic center of origin of cultivated plants in the New World; 10. The plant resources of the world and the work performed the the All Union Institute of Plant Industry toward their utilization; 11. The world centers of origin of agriculture and the soil map of the world; 12. Soviet science and the study of the problem concerning the origin of domesticated animals; 13. Problems concerning new crops; 14. The present state of worldwide agriculture and agricultural sciences; 15. The plant resources of the world and their utilization for socialistic agriculture; 16. Plant resources of the world and the mastering thereof; 17. The phyto-geographical basis for plant breeding; 18. Asia - the source of species; 19. Plant resources of the world and their utlization for plant breeding; 20. The important agricultural crops of pre-Columbian America and their mutual relationship; 21. Reply to the article by G. N. Shlykov, 'formal genetics and consistent Darwinism; 22. The theory of the origin of cultivated plants after Darwin; 23. Introduction of plants during the Soviet era and its results; 24. New data on the cultivated flora of china and its importance for Soviet plant breeding; 25. A letter to S. M. Bukasov; Indices.

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