Caraway (Carum carvi) is one of the world’s most important spices and has been cultivated since the Middle Ages. Finland currently accounts for 20–30% of the global caraway market, so it’s a significant cultivated plant in the Nordic region.
"The study was part of a Nordic collaborative project,” says Jenny Hagenblad, Senior Associate Professor at Linköping University.
During domestication and plant breeding, much genetic diversity is lost, whereas the wild ancestors and relatives of crops tend to have significantly higher genetic variation. It's important that these genetic resources are not lost. Genes from wild-growing caraway may prove valuable for future caraway breeding. Since caraway has grown wild in the Nordic region for thousands of years, it has adapted to local conditions such as the unique light environment of long, cool, bright summers.
“By crossing in genes for these traits into high-yielding cultivated caraway varieties from more southern latitudes, we may make them better suited for cultivation in the Nordic region. Often we don’t know in advance which genes from wild caraway will be useful, only that the more genetic diversity exists, the higher the likelihood that something will be beneficial to humans,” says Jenny Hagenblad.
Researchers from five countries mapped 16 populations and found a clear east–west genetic pattern, shaped by both Ice Age dispersal routes and human influence.
“We mapped the genetic variation in 16 Nordic populations of waraway and found that the genetic diversity followed an east–west gradient, and that in some cases humans contributed to the introduction of what is now wild-growing cumin. Based on the genetic analyses, we have identified several populations that should be prioritized for conservation efforts.”
"The study was part of a Nordic collaborative project,” says Jenny Hagenblad, Senior Associate Professor at Linköping University.
During domestication and plant breeding, much genetic diversity is lost, whereas the wild ancestors and relatives of crops tend to have significantly higher genetic variation. It's important that these genetic resources are not lost. Genes from wild-growing caraway may prove valuable for future caraway breeding. Since caraway has grown wild in the Nordic region for thousands of years, it has adapted to local conditions such as the unique light environment of long, cool, bright summers.
“By crossing in genes for these traits into high-yielding cultivated caraway varieties from more southern latitudes, we may make them better suited for cultivation in the Nordic region. Often we don’t know in advance which genes from wild caraway will be useful, only that the more genetic diversity exists, the higher the likelihood that something will be beneficial to humans,” says Jenny Hagenblad.
Researchers from five countries mapped 16 populations and found a clear east–west genetic pattern, shaped by both Ice Age dispersal routes and human influence.
“We mapped the genetic variation in 16 Nordic populations of waraway and found that the genetic diversity followed an east–west gradient, and that in some cases humans contributed to the introduction of what is now wild-growing cumin. Based on the genetic analyses, we have identified several populations that should be prioritized for conservation efforts.”