From QED

Caption

Imperial germplasm flows and migration, 1500-1900

Summary

This map shows the spread of wheat germplasm after 1500, before which time wheat production was mainly confined to the Afro-Eurasian landmass.

"By 1529, Spanish settlers had planted wheat in Mexico (Heiser 1990). The first recorded planting of wheat in Brazil also occurred in the 1500s (Bastos-Lagos, n.d.). By 1790, wheat was being planted in Australia. Mennonites migrating into the Crimea and, in 1873, from the Crimea into Kansas carried the landrace ancestor of the hard winter wheats of North America, called "Turkey Red" for the Turkish farmers who provided the seed; Turkish farmers also taught the Mennonites how to grow winter wheats."

"Transmitted as food in cargo holds and seed in settlers' sacks, wheat probably spread to almost all of the current production areas during the colonial period. Secondary flows occurred within colonial empires and commercial spheres, for example, from Cape Town in South Africa to India and Australia; between South and North America; and among North Africa, East Africa, and other territories. No note is made in Figure 2 of migrations originating in or directed over the broad expanse of West Asia, Eurasia, and China, but we imagine that important germplasm transmissions also occurred in these regions."

Source

Smale, M., and T. McBride. 1996. Understanding global trends in the use of wheat diversity and international flows of wheat genetic resources. Part 1 of CIMMYT 1995/96 World Wheat Facts and Trends: Understanding Global Trends in the Use of Wheat Diversity and International Flows of Wheat Genetic Resources. Mexico, D.F.: CIMMYT. [1] (archived)

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