Genetic resources in the cultivated flora of the Apuseni Mountains

Abstract

In order to detect genetic resources formed during specific relations between plant life and human activity in a sample territory situated in the North-Eastern border of the Apuseni Mountains (Transylvania, Romania) 416 cultivated plant species were identified and reliable ethnobotanical material was collected. The influence of different geographical regions of the world on the flora of the territory was characterized by an influence index. The influence index "I" of the American, African and Australian species on the spontaneous flora of the sample territory was very low, (I₁ = 2,01), but on the cultivated flora it was very high (I₂ = 58,48), reflecting the strong impact of foreign floras and agricultures. The cultivated flora of the territory was characterized according to following descriptors: geographical origin, life form, main traditional usage, main place of cultivation, frequency of cultivation, degree of domestication, ethnobotanical knowledge related to different species, local variability, territorial dynamics (related to genetic erosion or sedimentation) and territorial distribution.