Multidisciplinary Contributions to Legume Crop History: Proceed with Caution.

Frank M Dugan

doi:10.3389/fpls.2016.01876

Abstract

Accurate understanding of crop biogeography facilitates comprehension of agronomic potential, genetic diversity, and crop–pathogen evolution. Classic perspectives are exemplified by Vavilov (1987), a posthumous compilation, and Harlan (1971). Origin and geographic spread of a given crop provide clues as to environmental interactions, including relative adaption to pests, pathogens, and abiotic factors (Dark and Gent, 2001; Dugan, 2015). Great antiquity of pulse crops (pea, chickpea, lentil, bitter vetch, faba bean) is documented archeobotanically for the Fertile Crescent and several adjacent areas, including much of Europe in succeeding times (e.g., Abbo et al., 2003, 2006; Zohary et al., 2012; Mikic et al., 2014).

Highlights

USDA-ARS Plant Introduction, Washington State University, Pullman, WA, USA Keywords: archeobotany, crop history, paleolinguistics, pulses, legumes
Great antiquity of pulse crops is documented archeobotanically for the Fertile Crescent and several adjacent areas, including much of Europe in succeeding times (e.g., Abbo et al, 2003, 2006; Zohary et al, 2012; Mikicet al., 2014). These crops are indicated in ancient texts of the Fertile Crescent and adjacent areas, e.g., Akkadian, Old Babylonian (Semitic languages), Hittite (Indo-European, IE), and Sumerian
There remain areas in which data are scarce or in which there is conspicuous dissent from consensus. This is especially true for the Bronze Age Steppes, seen as critically important in dissemination of language, culture, and peoples (Haak et al, 2015), and possibly the geographic location for the ancestral Proto-Indo-Europeans (Anthony, 2007)

Summary

Introduction

USDA-ARS Plant Introduction, Washington State University, Pullman, WA, USA Keywords: archeobotany, crop history, paleolinguistics, pulses, legumes. These crops are indicated in ancient texts of the Fertile Crescent and adjacent areas, e.g., Akkadian, Old Babylonian (Semitic languages), Hittite (Indo-European, IE), and Sumerian (reviewed in Dugan, 2015). Linguistic indications of pulse crops in ancient Greek, Latin, Old Slavic, etc., and more recent languages have been summarized (Mikic, 2012).

Results

Conclusion