Domestication and morphological variation in wild and cultivated populations of Cornelian cherry (Cornus mas L.) in the area of the Drvar Valley, Bosnia and Herzegovina

Cornelian cherry has a profound cultural and traditional meaning to the people of the Drvar Valley. It is utilized by the people for its edible fruit from both the wild and cultivated populations originating from the area. The management practices involve basic extensive cultivation methods as clearing space around the selected trees, thus enhancing the growing conditions and propagation by seedlings and layering of the desired individuals with better yield and bigger fruit. Cherries are utilized by processing it for food and drinks for purposes of consumption and commercialization. Cultivated and wild populations are compared here in order to assess the level of changes, directions and the degree of domestication. Cornelian cherry fruits from the cultivated populations are significantly larger and heavier than those from the wild populations. Trees are better yielding and generally, the fruit related characteristics significantly differ between the cultivated and the wild populations. It appears that the people of the Drvar Valley have influenced such improvement by means of long term selection and cultivation thus creating distinguished domesticated populations i.e. landrace of Cornelian cherry in the Drvar Valley. The ongoing domestication process of this plant species is documented by collecting and comparing the biological characteristics of the populations, as well as the ethno-botanical information vital for understanding the domestication and cultivation processes