Locality: Bhutan (27.332740, 90.439450)

Abstract:
Crop wild Relatives (CWRs) are those species of wild plants which are closely related to the cultivated crops and are used as genetic material for improvement of the cultivated crops through breeding programs.
Many of the CWRs are believed to be very hardy species evolved through adaptation to harsh conditions in the natural environment and possesses relatively higher tolerance to stress, diseases and pests compared to their domesticated cousins and can be used in crop improvement.
The major crops traditionally cultivated in Bhutan are maize, rice, wheat, barley, buckwheat, potato, apple, cardamom and a wide range of millets, vegetables, pulses, oilseeds and citrus. Mandarin orange, apple, cardamom and potato are export crops. The list of minor agricultural crops include about 20 species of which 12 species are wide spread across the country, and the list of traditionally cultivated vegetables adds up to 27 (Roder 1990).
There are more than 100 species of agricultural crops grown in Bhutan ((NBC 2014)) and there is expected to be around 230 species of Crop Wild Relatives in Bhutan (Tamang, 2003).
This checklist presents crop wild relatives of Bhutan and is a component of an on-going systematic attempt for assessing the diversity and distribution of wild crop genetic resources.

Reference: Roder. 1990, NBC 2014, Tamang 2003.

Notes: Project supported by the United States Fulbright Scholar Program, Washington, D.C. (2017). The Fulbright Program is the flagship international educational exchange program sponsored by the U.S. government.