Genetic Resources in Agriculture 1

When plant species were domesticated some 10 000 years ago, they still carried with them the myriad of characteristics and defences which typically make wild plants adaptable to their environment and resilient to challenges such as drought, pest and disease attack. As peoples started to migrate their plants migrated with them and underwent a selection process as they were exposed to new environments. Sometimes dierent species were valued for a dierent purpose according to the respective civilisation. Some might have used wheat in order to make bread, others might have selected spelt to produce porridge or to roast it. A tree species might have been used for tim- ber, fuel, food or shelter.