Domestication of wild pears in Europe, with specific emphasis on the Caucasian endemic pear Pyrus communis subsp. caucasica (Fed.) Browicz

ABSTRACTCultivated pears are economically one of the most important fruits in temperate regions. Two separate taxonomic groups are distinguished, a European and Southwest Asian group, and an East Asian group. Pears have been cultivated at least since Ancient Greek times. Their taxonomy is often confusing, with 20 to 30 widely recognised species. Their outbreeding character and widespread hybridisation led to a huge number of different forms and crosses. The Caucasus is regarded as one of two main centres of diversity in the European and Southwest Asian group. In the Republic of Georgia, several wild species incl. Pyrus communis subsp. caucasica occur. Pyrus communis subsp. caucasica is the sister taxa of the European wild pear Pyrus communis subsp. pyraster, which can morphologically not be distinguished. The natural ranges of these two sister taxa do not overlap. Scientists assume two separate domestication events, in Europe and in Caucasus. In the Caucasus region, local pear cultivars remain genetically very close to wild pears which were used as rootstock, while the fruits are still used to produce a local schnapps. Today, wild pears are often endangered due to habitat loss and fragmentation. Wild pears constitute a rich genetic basis for future breeding.KEYWORDS: Pearscultivationplant breedingconservationCaucasuslandraces AcknowledgementsI would like to thank two anonymous reviewers for their comments which helped improve this review article. I would like to thank David Kikodze, Shalva Sikharulidze, and Zezva Asanidze (Ilia State University, Tbilisi, Georgia) for their valuable information on the distribution and use of wild pears in Georgia. David Kikodze and Filippo Guzzon commented on an earlier version of this manuscript. Stéphane Rivière produced the maps shown as Figures 5 and 6. This work did not receive external funding.Disclosure statementNo potential conflict of interest was reported by the author.Data availability statementThe author confirms that no additional data are available.