Seldom in the long history of man's association with plants has a wild species been adapted for cultivation within the span of a few years. The production of an “instant” domesticated plant is the goal of a team of researchers at the University of Arizona, Tucson. If this program is reasonably successful, it will have far-reaching effects, particularly for horticulture in those countries with large areas of arid lands within their boundaries. Even more important, it may provide incentive and suggest methods for the development of food or fiber crops from the vast reservoir of tropical species awaiting study.
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Bemis et al. (1978) studied this question.