WALNUTS and the first forest farms

lf Persian walnut trees could talk, they might tell of the numerous traders who moved along the Silk Roads' thousands of miles over thousands of years, carrying among their valuable merchandise the seeds that would tum into the mighty walnut forests that are spread across Asia. CNR-IBAF, CNR-IBAM and CNR-IBBA research, in cooperation with USDA - USDA Purdue University (IN-USA) and Earth Trust-Oxford University (UK), shows that ancient languages match up with the genetic codes found in Persian walnut (Juglans regia) forests, suggesting that the stands of trees seen today may be remnants of the first planned afforestation known in the world. (Purdue University, Agriculture news, september 3, 2015). Harvesting genetic samples across the breadth of Asia, researchers are finding that the portable, long-lasting, tasty and nutritious walnut may have spread because it was an ideal traveler's snack along the Silk Roads.