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Wheat Information Service
Number 90:52-53 (2000)
Proposal
Call to support an English translation of the 1979
Russian taxonomic monograph of Triticum by Dorofeev et al.
Laura A. Morrison1*, Iva
Faberova2, Anna Filatenko3, Karl
Hammer4, Helmut Knupffer5 Alexei
Morgounov6 and Sanjaya Rajaram7
1Department of Crop & Soil Science, Oregon
State University, Corvallis, OR 97331-3002, USA
2 Genebank, Research Institute of Crop Production,
Drnovska 507, CZ-161 06 Prague, Czech Republic
3 13-Linija 12, kv. 7, St. Petersburg 199 034, Russia
4 Universitat Gesamthochschule Kassel, SteinstraBe 11,
D-37213 Witzenhausen, Germany
5 Genebank, Institute of Plant Genetics and Crop Plant
Research (IPK), D-06466 Gatersleben, Germany
6 CIMMYT, P.O. Box 374, Almaty 480000,
7 CIMMYT, Apdo. Postal 6-641, 06600 Mexico, D.F.,
Mexico
While wheat researchers are familiar with the existence of the
Russian monograph of Triticum L. (Dorofeev et al. 1979), this
important taxonomic work is unavailable to the majority of them
because of the language barrier. Acceptance also has been problematic
because the monograph follows a traditional treatment concept that
recognizes all morphological forms of wild and domesticated wheats
and excludes the wild species of Aegilops L. This taxonomic
approach had already fallen out of favor by the time of its
publication in 1979. Thus, Dorofeev et al. has remained in relative
obscurity under the dominating influence of the genetic concept of
the wheat complex as embodied in the treatments of Morris and Sears
(1967), Kimber and Sears (1987) and Kimber and Feldman (1987).
Taxonomy is usually a minor concern for wheat geneticists. However,
it promises to play a significant role in the protection of germplasm
diversity and intellectual property rights, issues of growing
importance in the developing research arena and commercial markets of
biotechnology. By virtue of its detailed morphological
classification, Dorofeev et al. has direct application to all aspects
of biodiversity research - i.e., preservation, cataloguing,
and utilization. This monograph provides the only comprehensive
worldwide catalogue of all known infraspecific taxa of domesticated
and wild wheat species. It is the culmination of a significant
scientific effort that dates back to the time of Vavilov's leadership
of the systematic wheat research in Russia. Dorofeev et al. can serve
as an authoritative reference for both identifying distinct forms of
wild and domesticated wheat and challenging the validity of
proprietary claims on wheat genes and genetic lines that rightfully
belong within the public domain.
* Corresponding author: Fax: +1-541-737-3407; alura@peak.org
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