Microbotanical remains reveal Polynesian agriculture and mixed cropping in early New Zealand

Horrocks, Mark; Shane, Phil; Barber, Ian; D’Costa, Donna; Nichol, Scott L.

doi:10.1016/j.revpalbo.2004.03.003

Cited by 33 publications

(24 citation statements)

References 15 publications

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“…Similar to the problem of accelerated water erosion faced by the Mayan culture in Central America, wind erosion was a serious constraint faced by the prehistoric farmers of the Kalaupapa field system, Molakai Island, Hawaii (McCoy and Hartshorn, 2007). In New Zealand, there is strong evidence of prehistoric cultivation of four introduced Polynesian plants: bottle gourd (Lagenaria siceraria), paper mulberry (Broussonetia papyrifera), sweet potato and taro (Horrocks et al, 2004). These data identify combinations of early Polynesian crops, including both field -and treecropping systems, and provide evidence of prehistoric taro cultivation in the South Island.…”

Section: Prehistoric Farming Techniques and Soil Degradationmentioning

confidence: 81%

Soils and food sufficiency. A review

Lal

2009

Agron. Sustain. Dev.

191

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-Soil degradation, caused by land misuse and soil mismanagement, has plagued humanity since the dawn of settled agriculture. Many once thriving civilizations collapsed due to erosion, salinization, nutrient depletion and other soil degradation processes. The Green Revolution of the 1960s and 1970s, that saved hundreds of millions from starvation in Asia and elsewhere, by-passed Sub-Saharan Africa. This remains the only region in the world where the number of hungry and food-insecure populations will still be on the increase even by 2020. The serious technological and political challenges are being exacerbated by the rising energy costs. Resource-poor and small-size land-holders can neither afford the expensive input nor are they sure of their effectiveness because of degraded soils and the harsh, changing climate. Consequently, crop yields are adversely impacted by accelerated erosion, and depletion of soil organic matter (SOM) and nutrients because of the extractive farming practices. Low crop yields, despite growing improved varieties, are due to the severe soil degradation, especially the low SOM reserves and poor soil structure that aggravate drought stress. Components of recommended technology include: no-till; residue mulch and cover crops; integrated nutrient management; and biochar used in conjunction with improved crops (genetically modified, biotechnology) and cropping systems, and energy plantation for biofuel production. However, its low acceptance, e.g. for no-till farming, is due to a range of biophysical, social and economic factors. Competing uses of crop residues for other needs is among numerous factors limiting the adoption of no-till farming. Creating another income stream for resource-poor farmers, through payments for ecosystem services, e.g., C sequestration in terrestrial ecosystems, is an important strategy for promoting the adoption of recommended technologies. Adoption of improved soil management practices is essential to adapt to the changing climate, and meeting the needs of growing populations for food, fodder, fuel and fabrics. Soil restoration and sustainable management are essential to achieving food security, and global peace and stability.food security / soil restoration / sustainable development / soil degradation / conservation agriculture / no-till farming / biochar / integrated nutrient management

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Section: Prehistoric Farming Techniques and Soil Degradationmentioning

confidence: 81%

Soils and food sufficiency. A review

Lal

2009

Agron. Sustain. Dev.

191

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“…When, from where, and how it subsequently reached Oceania have been the subjects of extensive debate. Its presence in precontact archaeological sites scattered throughout Polynesia has long been considered as direct evidence for prehistoric contact between Polynesia and America (17)(18)(19)(20)(21). Also, the lexical similarity between terms for sweet potato in Polynesian languages ("kuumala" and its derivatives) and the terms for this plant ("kumara," "cumar," or "cumal") found among Quechua speakers of northwestern South America supports the hypothesis that humans introduced sweet potato from South America to Polynesia (22), against the alternative hypothesis of natural long-distance dispersal of seeds (23).…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Historical collections reveal patterns of diffusion of sweet potato in Oceania obscured by modern plant movements and recombination

Roullier

Benoit

McKey

et al. 2013

Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A.

202

125

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The history of sweet potato in the Pacific has long been an enigma. Archaeological, linguistic, and ethnobotanical data suggest that prehistoric human-mediated dispersal events contributed to the distribution in Oceania of this American domesticate. According to the "tripartite hypothesis," sweet potato was introduced into Oceania from South America in pre-Columbian times and was then later newly introduced, and diffused widely across the Pacific, by Europeans via two historically documented routes from Mexico and the Caribbean. Although sweet potato is the most convincing example of putative pre-Columbian connections between human occupants of Polynesia and South America, the search for genetic evidence of pre-Columbian dispersal of sweet potato into Oceania has been inconclusive. Our study attempts to fill this gap. Using complementary sets of markers (chloroplast and nuclear microsatellites) and both modern and herbarium samples, we test the tripartite hypothesis. Our results provide strong support for prehistoric transfer(s) of sweet potato from South America (Peru-Ecuador region) into Polynesia. Our results also document a temporal shift in the pattern of distribution of genetic variation in sweet potato in Oceania. Later reintroductions, accompanied by recombination between distinct sweet potato gene pools, have reshuffled the crop's initial genetic base, obscuring primary patterns of diffusion and, at the same time, giving rise to an impressive number of local variants. Moreover, our study shows that phenotypes, names, and neutral genes do not necessarily share completely parallel evolutionary histories. Multidisciplinary approaches, thus, appear necessary for accurate reconstruction of the intertwined histories of plants and humans.phylogeography | herbarium specimens | prehistory | early trans-Pacific travels

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“…Reworking of the tephras is also a possibility although this seems unlikely given that they are present in the core in discrete, apparently undisturbed layers and lack contaminants. Unreliable radiocarbon ages have also been recorded in Holocene pollen profiles from Lake Pupuke, Auckland (Horrocks et al 2005), and Rangihoua Bay, Bay of Islands (Horrocks et al 2004). …”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 94%

“…Given that Pteridium is often very aggressive (Allan 1961), an alternative explanation is that it was deliberately suppressed by people. In a pollen record from Rangihoua Bay in the Bay of Islands, plant succession following anthropogenic disturbance featured Paesia preceding Pteridium (Horrocks et al 2004).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%