Early evidence for the use of wheat and barley as staple crops on the margins of the Tibetan Plateau

Guedes, Jade A. d’Alpoim; Lü, Hongliang; Hein, Anke; Schmidt, Amanda H.

doi:10.1073/pnas.1423708112

Cited by 130 publications

(68 citation statements)

References 31 publications

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“…In Sichuan, the earliest dates for wheat and barley are around 1400–1000 BC from Ashaonao (D’Alpoim Guedes et al, 2015). In Yunnan, C 14 dates for wheat from Haimenkou are of similar age, 1450–1150 BC (Li and Min, 2014; Xue, 2010), with earlier levels producing only rice and millets.…”

Section: Wheat Goes Eastmentioning

confidence: 99%

Between China and South Asia: A Middle Asian corridor of crop dispersal and agricultural innovation in the Bronze Age

et al. 2016

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The period from the late third millennium BC to the start of the first millennium AD witnesses the first steps towards food globalization in which a significant number of important crops and animals, independently domesticated within China, India, Africa and West Asia, traversed Central Asia greatly increasing Eurasian agricultural diversity. This paper utilizes an archaeobotanical database (AsCAD), to explore evidence for these crop translocations along southern and northern routes of interaction between east and west. To begin, crop translocations from the Near East across India and Central Asia are examined for wheat (Triticum aestivum) and barley (Hordeum vulgare) from the eighth to the second millennia BC when they reach China. The case of pulses and flax (Linum usitatissimum) that only complete this journey in Han times (206 BC–AD 220), often never fully adopted, is also addressed. The discussion then turns to the Chinese millets, Panicum miliaceum and Setaria italica, peaches (Amygdalus persica) and apricots (Armeniaca vulgaris), tracing their movement from the fifth millennium to the second millennium BC when the Panicum miliaceum reaches Europe and Setaria italica Northern India, with peaches and apricots present in Kashmir and Swat. Finally, the translocation of japonica rice from China to India that gave rise to indica rice is considered, possibly dating to the second millennium BC. The routes these crops travelled include those to the north via the Inner Asia Mountain Corridor, across Middle Asia, where there is good evidence for wheat, barley and the Chinese millets. The case for japonica rice, apricots and peaches is less clear, and the northern route is contrasted with that through northeast India, Tibet and west China. Not all these journeys were synchronous, and this paper highlights the selective long-distance transport of crops as an alternative to demic-diffusion of farmers with a defined crop package.

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Section: Wheat Goes Eastmentioning

confidence: 99%

Between China and South Asia: A Middle Asian corridor of crop dispersal and agricultural innovation in the Bronze Age

et al. 2016

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“…We have implemented a simple scenario where the domain available for dispersal is restricted only by two ecological factors: regions with a total number of degree-days in the year (e.g. Guedes and Butler 2014;Guedes et al 2015) lower than 2,500, as well as desert regions, where rice cannot grow.…”

Section: Modelling Frameworkmentioning

confidence: 99%

A tale of two rice varieties: Modelling the prehistoric dispersals of japonica and proto-indica rices

et al. 2018

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We model the prehistoric dispersals of two rice varieties, japonica and proto-indica, across Asia using empirical evidence drawn from an archaeobotanical dataset of 400 sites from mainland East, Southeast and South Asia. The approach is based on regression modelling wherein goodness of fit is obtained from log-log quantile regressions of the archaeologically inferred age versus a least-cost distance from the origin(s) of dispersal. The Fast Marching method is used to estimate the least-cost distances based on simple geographical features. We explicitly test three hypotheses for the arrival of japonica rice to India where, it has been proposed, it hybridized with the indigenous proto-indica, subsequently spreading again throughout India. Model selection, based on information criteria, highlights the role of the Inner Asia Mountain Corridor in introducing japonica rice into northeast India, followed closely by a 'mixed route' model, where japonica was also almost simultaneously introduced via Assam, Bangladesh and Myanmar. Finally, we estimate the impact of future archaeological work on model selection, further strengthening the importance of the Inner Asia Mountain Corridor.

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“…However, during the 4th millennium BP, worldwide temperatures became cooler (Marcott et al, 2013), and may have led to difficulties in millet cultivation. Evidence shows major shifts in proso millet farming on the Tibetan Plateau until its cultivation was abandoned in Eastern Tibet (Guedes et al, 2014, 2015a,b; Chen et al, 2015; Guedes, 2015). Later, proso millet was largely replaced by wheat and barley on the Tibetan Plateau; however, it continued to be a popular crop in low-lying plains of northern China well after its introduction (Boivin et al, 2012).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Proso Millet (Panicum miliaceum L.) and Its Potential for Cultivation in the Pacific Northwest, U.S.: A Review

et al. 2017

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Proso millet (Panicum miliaceum L.) is a warm season grass with a growing season of 60–100 days. It is a highly nutritious cereal grain used for human consumption, bird seed, and/or ethanol production. Unique characteristics, such as drought and heat tolerance, make proso millet a promising alternative cash crop for the Pacific Northwest (PNW) region of the United States. Development of proso millet varieties adapted to dryland farming regions of the PNW could give growers a much-needed option for diversifying their predominantly wheat-based cropping systems. In this review, the agronomic characteristics of proso millet are discussed, with emphasis on growth habits and environmental requirements, place in prevailing crop rotations in the PNW, and nutritional and health benefits. The genetics of proso millet and the genomic resources available for breeding adapted varieties are also discussed. Last, challenges and opportunities of proso millet cultivation in the PNW are explored, including the potential for entering novel and regional markets.

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Early evidence for the use of wheat and barley as staple crops on the margins of the Tibetan Plateau

Cited by 130 publications

References 31 publications

Between China and South Asia: A Middle Asian corridor of crop dispersal and agricultural innovation in the Bronze Age

Between China and South Asia: A Middle Asian corridor of crop dispersal and agricultural innovation in the Bronze Age

A tale of two rice varieties: Modelling the prehistoric dispersals of japonica and proto-indica rices

Proso Millet (Panicum miliaceum L.) and Its Potential for Cultivation in the Pacific Northwest, U.S.: A Review

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