The genus Brassica. A shared cultural heritage in the Iberian Peninsula Conference Paper uri icon

abstract

  • Taxonomic boundaries of the genus Brassica are not clearly defined. Native in the wild in Western Europe, some authors (Gomez-Campo 2003) consider that this genus comprises about 35 species distributed especially in the Mediterranean, with a maximum of diversity in the SW part of this region. Moreover, several of such species are of great economic importance for human uses (vegetables, spices, oils, seeds) and for animal husbandry as fodder. Nowadays, Portugal is considered a secondary centre of biodiversity of three species (Brassica oleracea, B. napus, B. rapa), which were long ago introduced and domesticated in the Iberian Peninsula where they are well adapted to different cultivation conditions and uses. The Portuguese Gene Bank (BPGV) has built the only national collection of Brassica traditional varieties. The ex situ conservation collection is enriched in a dynamic way and 935 accessions are preserved (542 B. oleracea, 102 B. napus, 291 B. rapa) as the result of 155 collecting missions carried out in the Portuguese territory.

publication date

  • January 1, 2014