INDIGENOUS BREAD WHEAT VARIETIES FROM NORTHERN NIGERIA

SUMMARY The indigenous bread wheats from Northern Nigeria are described. They mainly belong to var. erythrospermum and var. meridionale . The Nigerian wheats are very susceptible to mildew. They belong to a group of Ne 1 m ‐carriers, the Sudan zone perhaps forming an Ne 1 m ‐region. These wheats may have come from the Near East, through Egypt. Later, a second wave of non‐carrier Sahara wheats may have broken the link between the Near East and the Sudan zone. Some varieties are morphologically different (var. graecum ) and carry the Ne 1 w ‐allele. They derive possibly from wheats introduced from India/Pakistan.