First archaeological evidence of banana cultivation in central Africa during the third millennium before present

Mindzie, Christophe Mbida; Doutrelepont, Hugues; Vrydaghs, Luc; Swennen, R.; Beeckman, Hans; Langhe, Edmond De; Maret, Pierre de

doi:10.1007/pl00013367

Cited by 137 publications

(37 citation statements)

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“…In this respect, besides a potential way of introduction of Bos indicus into Africa via the Isthmus of Suez in the second millennium BC, a likewise early importation of animals might also have occurred via the Red Sea and Indian Ocean into the Horn of Africa and the East African coast. That informal exchange networks were very probably active in these regions of the continent at an early date are suggested by second to first millennium BC archaeobotanic finds in Africa and Asia (Fuller, 2003;Mbida, Van Neer, Doultrelepont, & Vrydaghs, 2000;Mindzie et al, 2001). Formal sea-borne commerce with the Horn of Africa and the East African coast is, however, only proven by archaeological and documentary sources to have taken place from at least the early Aksumite Period, i.e.…”

Section: Early Maritime Contacts and Tradementioning

confidence: 95%

Ancient Humped Cattle in Africa: A View from the Chad Basin

Magnavita

2006

Afr Archaeol Rev

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The origins of ancient and modern African cattle are still a matter of much debate among researchers. Part of the dispute involves the question of the appearance in Africa, from the second millennium BC onwards, of cattle carrying a distinguishing morphological feature present in most of the modern sub-Saharan breeds: The hump. This paper addresses the issue of the origins of the African humped cattle. After reviewing the current hypothesis on their origins, the status and significance of old and new archaeological and osteological evidence from the Chad Basin are presented and critically discussed. Mainly based on the cultural context of the archaeological figurative evidence available in the remaining continent, a case for the foreign ancestry of the ancient African humped cattle is made, and a perspective for future research in the topic is provided. Résumé Les origines des boeufs africains antiques et modernes sont toujours le motif de vives discussions entre les chercheurs. Une part des discussions concerne la question de l'apparition en Afrique, dès le second millénaire BC, de boeufs portant un certain trait morphologique bien visible sur la plupart des boeufs africains sub-sahariens modernes: la bosse. Le présent manuscrit traite des racines du boeuf africainà bosse. Après avoir examiné les hypothèses courantes de leurs origines, le caractère et la pertinence des trouvailles archéologiques et ostéologiques du Bassin du Lac Tchad sont présentés de façon critique. Se basant sur le contexte culturel de l'art figuratif ancien présent dans le reste du continent, l'hypothèse d'une origineà l'étranger du boeuf africainà bosse est envisagée et une perspective est présentée pour des investigations futures sur le sujet.

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Section: Early Maritime Contacts and Tradementioning

confidence: 95%

Ancient Humped Cattle in Africa: A View from the Chad Basin

Magnavita

2006

Afr Archaeol Rev

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“…Silicon concentration in young plants ranges from 0.7 to 3.8% (Jauhari et al 1974) and phytoliths have been observed in several tissues (Tomlinson 1969;Mindzie et al 2001). There is, however, a circumstantial body of evidence that fungic resistance in banana plantations is associated with Vertisols, which present high Si concentration in soil solution, whereas lodging incidence seems to be high on largely desilicicated ferrallitic soils (reviewed by Delvaux 1995).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 94%

Effects, distribution and uptake of silicon in banana (Musa spp.) under controlled conditions

et al. 2006

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Three contrasted genotypes of Musa spp. (M. acuminata cv Grande Naine, M. acuminata spp. Banksii and M. balbisiana spp. Tani) were grown for 6 weeks under optimal conditions in hydroponics and were submitted to a wide range of Si supply (0-1.66 mM Si) to quantify the Si uptake and distribution in banana, as well as the effect of Si on banana growth. The level of Si supply did not affect plant growth, nor the rate of water and nutrient uptake. The rate of Si uptake and the Si concentration in plant tissues increased markedly with the Si supply. At the highest Si concentrations (1.66 mM), silicon absorption was essentially driven by mass flow of water (passive transport). However, at lower Si concentrations (0.02-0.83 mM), it was higher than its uptake by mass flow and caused the depletion of silicon in the nutrient solution, suggesting the existence of active processes in silicon transport. The distribution of silicon among shoot organs (pseudostem < petiole and midrib < young lamina < old leaf) confirmed the major role of transpiration in silicon accumulation and was not dependent on silicon supply. However, other mechanisms of transport might be operating in the roots and in the petiole and midrib of young leaves, whose silicon concentration was unexpectedly high at low Si supply (0.02 mM) compared to higher levels of Si. The three genotypes did not exhibit consistent differences in their responses to silicon supply.

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“…People have been using bananas for at least 7,000 years in Papua New Guinea (Denham et al, 2003), possibly 6,000 years in Uganda (Lejju et al, 2006) and 2,500 years in Cameroon (Mindzie et al, 2001). Today, most people of the world are familiar with this delicious fruit.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Environmental physiology of the bananas (Musa spp.)

Turner

Fortescue

Thomas

2007

Braz. J. Plant Physiol.

116

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The bananas are thought to be particularly sensitive to changes in the environment. This review considers some historical and recent investigations into the response of the leaf, root and reproductive system to the environment. Monteith's analysis of the response of plants to intercepted radiation is appropriate for analyzing the productivity of bananas and plantains. The banana is sensitive to soil water deficits, and expanding tissues such as emerging leaves and growing fruit are among the first to be affected. As soil begins to dry, stomata close and leaves remain highly hydrated, probably through root pressure. Productivity is affected because of the early closure of stomata. We find the common belief that bananas use large amounts of water does not have a strong physiological basis. Improvements in water-use efficiency in irrigated plantations could come from a closer match between plant water use and the amount of water applied. We examine recent data on water-use efficiency of different banana cultivars and propose that agronomists, physiologists and breeders could quantify the amount of water available in each rain-fed environment and work towards directing more of that water through the plant. The banana is day neutral for floral induction, but photoperiods of less than 12 h are associated with a slowing in the rate of bunch initiation that is independent of temperature expressed as growing degree days. This may contribute to seasonal variations in banana flowering, even in more tropical environments with moderate temperatures. Key words: crop yield, leaf system, light, photoperiod, photosynthesis, reproductive system, root system, temperature, water supply Ecofisiologia de bananeiras (Musa spp.): Bananeiras são particularmente sensíveis a mudanças no ambiente. Nesta revisão, exploram-se alguns estudos clássicos e recentes sobre as respostas ao ambiente da folha, raiz e sistema reprodutivo dessa espécie. A análise de Monteith sobre as respostas das plantas à radiação interceptada mostrou-se apropriada para a análise da produtividade de bananeiras. Bananeiras são sensíveis ao déficit hídrico do solo, particularmente tecidos em expansão tais como as folhas em formação e os frutos em crescimento. Na medida em que o solo começa a secar, os estômatos se fecham e as folhas se mantêm altamente hidratadas, provavelmente devido à pressão radicular. A produtividade é afetada, em função do fechamento estomático. A crença geral de que bananeiras usam grandes quantidades de água não tem forte embasamento fisiológico. O aumento na eficiência do uso da água em cultivos irrigados pode advir de aumentos na densidade de plantio e quantidade de água aplicada. Examinam-se dados recentes sobre a eficiência do uso da água em diferentes cultivares de banana e propõe-se que agrônomos, fisiologistas e melhoristas possam quantificar a quantidade de água disponível nos vários ambientes de sequeiro, de modo a maximizar a eficiência do uso da água pela planta. A bananeira é uma espécie neutra para a indução floral, porém fotoperíod...

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First archaeological evidence of banana cultivation in central Africa during the third millennium before present

Cited by 137 publications

References 0 publications

Ancient Humped Cattle in Africa: A View from the Chad Basin

Ancient Humped Cattle in Africa: A View from the Chad Basin

Effects, distribution and uptake of silicon in banana (Musa spp.) under controlled conditions

Environmental physiology of the bananas (Musa spp.)

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