Wild Relatives and Related Species of Crop Plants in India - their Diversity and Distribution

The wild relatives of crop plants and related species arc of considerable importance in studies on crop improvement and in providing basic information on species relationships. The concentration of these taxa lies in the centres of diversity of crop plants. The Indian sub-continent forms part of such a centre of diversity (Vavilov, 1950, Zeven and Zhukovsky, 1975). Further, this diversity has also been enriched due to active gene exchange with the surrounding regions, particularly in the northern/north-eastern parts (Chatterjee, 1939). In this paper, a synthesis of the diversity and distribution of such flora has been attempted, pinpointing areas of concentration of these wild types so that this information can be profitably utilized particularly by the plant explorers. Collection, study and conservation of this genetic wealth is of great importance.