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ARS Home » Pacific West Area » Corvallis, Oregon » National Clonal Germplasm Repository » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #388021
Research Project: Management of Temperate-Adapted Fruit, Nut, and Specialty Crop Genetic Resources and Associated Information

Location: National Clonal Germplasm Repository

Title: Wild edible small fruits in Turkey and their fruit characteristics

Author
item YALCIN, OZGECAN - Oregon State University
item Bassil, Nahla
item KAFKAS, NESIBE - University Of Cukurova

Submitted to: Proceedings of the Latvian Academy of Sciences
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 1/8/2022
Publication Date: 10/13/2022
Citation: Yalcin, O., Bassil, N.V., Kafkas, N.E. 2022. Wild edible small fruits in Turkey and their fruit characteristics. Proceedings of the Latvian Academy of Sciences. 76(4):417-423. https://doi.org/10.2478/prolas-2022-0065.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.2478/prolas-2022-0065

Interpretive Summary: Wild fruits are essential genetic resources for fruit breeding and have either been domesticated or used to incorporate disease resistance and tolerance to abiotic and biotic stress into new cultivars. Turkey has a rich plant biodiversity thanks to its geographic location and encirclement by three seas, leading to a wide variety of climates. This review aims to introduce some of the wild edible berry plants naturally occurring in Turkey such as mulberry, sea buckthorn, European cranberrybush, raspberry, blackberry, strawberry, strawberry tree, elderberry, and Caucasian whortleberry. We describe their distribution, uses, and fruit characteristics. Conservation of these wild fruit genetic resources is necessary for use in breeding for novel traits.

Technical Abstract: Wild fruits are essential genetic resources for fruit breeding and have either been domesticated or used to introgress disease resistance and tolerance to abiotic and biotic stress. Numerous studies have previously described the health benefits of wild berry fruits and reported their antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial and anticancer activity. Turkey has a rich plant biodiversity thanks to its geographic location and encirclement by three seas, leading to a wide variety of climates. A great ecological diversity of the wild berry species in Turkey is a significant bio-gene pool that is vital to human life and can serve as a source of agricultural development in the future. This review aims to introduce some of the wild edible berry species naturally occurring in Turkey such as Morus spp., Hippophae rhamnoides, Viburnum opulus, Rubus idaeus, Rubus fruticosus, Sambucus nigra, Vaccinium spp., Arbutus unedo, Ribes spp., and Fragaria vesca, and describe their distribution, uses, and fruit characteristics. Conservation of these wild fruit genetic resources is necessary for use in breeding for novel traits.