Plant Domestication Timeline Quiz

Plant Domestication Timeline

• 10,000 years ago: Wild grain collection began in Asia Minor.
• 8,750 years ago: Wheat and barley cultivation started in Asia Minor. Domestication of goats, sheep, pigs, and various plants also began during this time.
• 7,000 years ago: Movement of people into the Tigris-Euphrates valleys. Rice cultivation began in Thailand. Evidence of bean and pea cultivation found in Spirit Cave, Thailand.
• 6,000 years ago: Development of sophisticated urban civilizations in Asia Minor. Introduction of agriculture from Asia Minor to the Balkans, leading to a shift towards rye and oats in Europe. Development of agrarian society at the Yang-Chao site near the Yellow River in China. Early evidence of agriculture in the Sahara.
• 3,500 years ago: Transition to fully agricultural societies in Central America. Development of hybrid corn, tomato, squash, beans, peppers, cotton, and many fruits. Dogs were also domesticated in this period.
• 2,500 years ago: Introduction of irrigation and turkey domestication in Central America. Trade of crop seeds was also established.
• 14,000 years ago: Development of grinding equipment in Egypt.

Key Regions and Crops

• Asia Minor: Wheat, barley, goats, sheep, pigs
• China-Southeast Asia: Rice, beans, peas
• Central America: Corn (maize), squash, peppers, amaranth, avocado, tomato, beans, cotton, turkeys, potatoes

Crop Introductions and Time Period

• Europe:
  • Romans: Peas, oats, rye, herbs.
  • Arabic Colonization of Spain: Rice, sugar cane, sorghum, citrus fruits.
  • European Conquest of the Americas:
    • 1600s: Corn in Spain, Portugal, Italy. Potatoes in Spain and England.
    • 1700s: Potatoes in Russia and central Europe.
    • Explorations of Eastern Asia (1497): Rhubarb, almond, apricot, peach, coffee, black pepper.
• Asia:
  • Indigenous: Rice.
  • Introductions from the Americas: Corn (maize), papaya, pineapple, potato, sweet potato, tapioca (cassava), chili pepper.
  • Introductions from North-East Africa: Coffee.
• Africa:
  • Indigenous: Coffee, sorghum, millet, yam, cowpeas, watermelon, sesame, palm oil.
  • Introductions from Asia: Coconut, rice, bananas.
  • Introductions from the Near East: Mango, eggplant.
  • Introductions from the Americas: Cassava, sweet potatoes, corn (maize), beans.
• Americas:
  • Indigenous to Central and South America: Corn, cassava, potato, sweet potato, peanuts, tomato, chili peppers, beans.
  • Introductions by Spanish and English Colonists: Sugar cane, bananas, rice, citrus fruits, breadfruit, coffee.

Mnemonic Devices

• Asia Minor: "Wild Wheat Goats Move Urban"

  • Wild grains (10,000 years ago)
  • Wheat and barley (8,750 years ago)
  • Goats and other animals domesticated (8,750 years ago)
  • Move into Tigris-Euphrates (7,000 years ago)
  • Urban civilizations (6,000 years ago)

• Asia Minor & Africa: "Asia to Balkans, Egypt Grinds, Sahara Farms"

  • Asia Minor to Balkans (6,000 years ago)
  • Egypt grinding equipment (14,000 years ago)
  • Sahara agriculture (6,000 years ago)

• China-Southeast Asia: "Beans, Rice, Yang-Chao"

  • Beans and peas (9,000 years ago)
  • Rice (7,000 years ago)
  • Yang-Chao agrarian society (6,000 years ago)

• Central America: "Hunters Cultivate Fully Irrigated Trade"

  • Hunters (9,000-7,000 years ago)
  • Cultivate (7,000 years ago)
  • Fully agricultural (3,500 years ago)
  • Irrigated (2,500 years ago)
  • Trade of seeds (2,500 years ago)

• Central America: "Aztec Mayan Inca"

  • Aztec: Intensive irrigation agriculture
  • Mayan: Selection of corn and bean cultivars
  • Inca: Potato domestication and irrigation systems

Pumpkin Family (Cucurbitaceae)

• Most are vines with separate male and female flowers
• Important food crops include pumpkin, butternut squash, gourd, zucchini
• All are native to the Americas (Mexico and/or Peru)
• The fleshy fruit and seeds are important food sources

Date Palm

• Tree-like palm thought to be indigenous to the Near East (Mesopotamian valley, Southwest Asia)
• Fruit is rich in vitamins, contains 75% carbohydrates (mainly sugars) and 25% protein

Coconut

• Large palm native to South Pacific Islands (Philippines, Malaysia, New Guinea)
• Produces one of the world's largest seeds
• "Coconut meat" or copra was a vital energy source for South Sea islanders

Apple

• Arises from non-floral hypanthium (receptacle) tissue
• Varieties are derived from the same species (Malus domestica)
• Fruit develops from a five-parted inferior ovary
• Older apple varieties are diploid and produce viable seeds
• Most modern cultivars are triploid and therefore sterile

Walnut

• Large tree indigenous to Southeast Europe and Western Asia
• Produces a bitter-tasting drupe-like fruit
• The "nut" sold commercially consists of the woody endocarp
• Seeds can be processed into a high-quality cooking oil

Pecan

• Large tree indigenous to the southern United States and adjacent Mexico
• The fruit splits open revealing the "nut" (the woody endocarp) containing a single edible seed

Almond

• Small tree native to Western Asia
• Fruit is a single-seeded drupe

Macadamia Nut

• Native to south-east Australia
• The fruit splits to reveal a thick shell (the endocarp) containing a single edible seed
• Introduced to Hawaii in 1930
• Considered the tastiest of all gourmet nuts
• Highly toxic to dogs

Pineapple

• The Americas
• Large multiple fruit derived from the fusion of 100-200 separate fruits, each from a single flower
• Grown commercially as a dessert fruit
• Used to produce a natural protein-degrading enzyme
• Leaves are a source of coarse plant fiber used to manufacture mats and sacks

Beriberi

• Caused by a deficiency of thiamine (Vitamin B1)
• Primarily associated with white rice consumption due to low vitamin content
• Symptoms include weight loss, reduced sensory perception, limb pain, weakness, and emotional disturbances
• Prevention involves consuming brown rice, enriching white rice, and maintaining a balanced diet with various grains

Ergot Poisoning

• Caused by fungal ergot infection of rye, prevalent in wet seasons
• Ergot contains ergotamine, LSD, and alkaloid compounds with harmful physiological effects
• Symptoms include convulsions, paralysis, gangrene, hallucinations
• Historically associated with events like St. Anthony's Fire, witch trials, demonic possessions, and religious visions
• Outbreaks persisted until the 20th century with cases in Russia, England, and France
• Prevention focuses on careful monitoring of rye in developed countries

Scurvy

• Caused by vitamin C deficiency
• Symptoms include skin blotches, gum deterioration, and mucous membrane bleeding
• Discovered in 1753 by Dr. James Lind, who determined citrus fruits cured the disease
• Led British naval vessels to carry lemons or limes, earning British sailors the nickname "limeys"
• Prevention involves consuming citrus fruits, rich in vitamin C

Jamaican Vomiting Sickness

• Caused by consumption of immature or over-ripe akee arils
• Symptoms include severe vomiting and hypoglycemia (low blood glucose)
• Prevention involves proper removal of poisonous parts before consumption and eating ripe fruit