Cereals of the Mediterranean Region: Their Origin, Breeding History and Grain Quality Traits

Wheat and barley are the principal founder crops in the agriculture world and they have been a part of the Mediterranean agriculture history for 8000 years. Today, wheat is the major cereal crop cultivated and consumed in the Mediterranean region. Rice was introduced to the Mediterranean agriculture in the seventh century and today plays an important socio-economic role and is a staple food for many Mediterranean countries. During the ‘Green Revolution’, wheat and rice were the target crops for ensuring food security of the rapid population growth. Both crops were subjected to intensive breeding with an emphasis on increasing their production and their resistance towards the biotic and abiotic stresses exerted by the rain-fed conditions of the Mediterranean region. In the last decade, improving technological and nutritional grain qualities became a big challenge for breeders in response to consumers and industrials needs. The present chapter reviews the pathways along which wheat, barley and rice were introduced to the Mediterranean region with focus on the major breeding progress that these crops went through. The introduction of modern varieties contributed into feeding the world but intensive farming system had a drastic impact on the environmental sustainability. Overall, breeding succeeded in identifying wheat grain quality traits thereby selecting improved varieties with peculiar properties. Nevertheless, the progress in rice breeding is still limited, where more research is required for selecting improved varieties.