Carrots in History, and History in Carrots: Where Today’s Carrots Came From, and How They Got There
Join eOrganic for a webinar about the history of carrots! Learn about their origins, domestication, and genetic diversity from Philipp Simon of the USDA ARS and Susana Cabrera-Mariz of Organic Seed Alliance.
-Thursday, March 26th
-11 AM PST
-Virtual
-Free, registration required
About the Webinar
Each crop of modern agriculture has been domesticated from one or more wild plant species by generations of local farmers where those wild relatives have naturally occurred. In the case of carrots, Central Asia, including the current countries of Afghanistan or Iran, is where carrots were likely to have first been domesticated as a root crop 1000 to 1500 years ago. Surprising to carrot consumers today, the first carrots were not orange, but rather yellow and purple. And many vegetable growers are well aware that there are also red and white carrot cultivars, as well as combinations of these colors. Carrot colors are only one characteristic that has been bred into today’s carrot crop from its wild relatives, heirloom varieties, and landraces. To broaden the genetic diversity of carrots available for crop improvement, plant collecting expeditions have been a valuable source of new variation for breeders to tap into. In 11 collecting expeditions to those global regions where wild carrot occurs including Central Asia, Turkey, North Africa, Europe, Russia, and the Americas, 350 carrots were added to the USDA germplasm collection in the last 40 years. Recent research evaluating around 700 carrot landraces and heirloom varieties in that collection identified new gene sources for nematode, cavity spot, and Alternaria leaf blight resistances as well as earlier stand establishment, reduced bolting, drought tolerance, juicier texture and sweeter flavor. And some of this genetic variation is being released as new carrot breeding stocks with pest and disease resistance, novel colors, and improved consumer quality. Given the wide distribution of carrots globally and broad genetic variation of carrots, the prospects are bright for future germplasm collection and for the discovery of new variation to improve traits important for carrot growers and consumers.
About the Presenters
Philipp Simon is a USDA Agricultural Research Service Geneticist, and a Professor of Horticulture at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. His research on carrot and garlic genetics and breeding is conducted to improve these crops for growers and consumers. Some of his key areas of interest include carrot and garlic genetics and the development of genomic tools and genetic improvement of carrot root-knot nematode resistance, crop diversity and origins, and the nutritional quality and flavor of both carrots and garlic.
Susana Cabrera-Mariz supports the research and education program in Washington state. Susana has worked within food systems for a decade in seed and food access nonprofits. Additionally, Susana has organically farmed for eight years and adores connecting with plants and land. Susana has a master’s degree in Anthropology focused on the matrix of seed, culture, and public education from Iowa State University. Susana trained in agroecology at the renowned Center for Agroecology and Sustainable Food Systems, the Multinational Exchange for Sustainable Agriculture, and the Rogue Farm Corp.
