First domestic salep varieties registered
In a landmark development for Turkish agriculture, Türkiye has officially registered its first domestic salep varieties, paving the way for the cultivation of these wild orchids under field conditions in coastal regions, thereby mitigating the ongoing depletion of natural habitats.
Agriculture and Forestry Minister İbrahim Yumaklı on May 27 announced that the country’s first local salep varieties as “Bal Yumru” and “Bol Yumru.”
He stated that the work carried out for nearly 20 years by the General Directorate of Agricultural Research and Policies (TAGEM), under the Ege Agricultural Research Institute, on domesticating tuberous salep species has finally borne fruit.
Yumaklı emphasized that gaining registered local varieties of salep, a plant with long-recognized cultural and economic importance in Türkiye, represents a highly significant milestone for the agricultural sector.
