Ancient Alien Crop Introductions Integral to Indian Agriculture: An Overview
Keywords:
Key words, Ancient crop introductions, archeological, archaeobotanical, literary, Sanskrit
Abstract
Abstract
India is one of the major centers of agricultural plant biodiversity. Many of crop plants were domesticated and a far greater number were introduced from different parts of the world since ancient times. The archaeobotanical remains, sculptural depictions, and their reference in ancient literature (Sanskrit), presents unambiguous evidence for introduction of 65 crop species before 8th century. It includes crops from Americas, Africa, Near East, Central Asia, China and Southeast Asia. Introduction/occurrence is speculated because of geological and geographical fragmentation of continental landmass, followed by drift; natural or man-made transoceanic movement, and trade and cultural exchange. The evidence generated straighten the wrong perceptions about the time of introduction of many crops such as maize, sunflower, cashew, etc.
References
References
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Bhava Mishra (ca.1600 AD) (1995) (X edition in Hindi) Bhava Prakash Nighantu (Indian Materia Medica). Commentry by Chunekar KC, (Ed:
Pandey GS) Chaukhambha Bharti Academy, Varanasi.
Bhishagratna KKL (Ed) (1907) An English translation of the Sushruta samhita, Vol. I-Sutrasthanam, Calcutta
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Busson F (1965) Plantes anmentalres de 1'0uestAfricain: etude botanique, biologique at chimique. pp 568, Leconte, Marseille, France
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Pandey GS) Chaukhambha Bharti Academy, Varanasi.
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Neumann K, Butler A and Kahlheber S) pp 239–271, Africa Praehistorica 15. Cologne: Heinrich-Barth Institute
Fuller DQ (2011) Finding plant domestication in the Indian subcontinent. Current Anthropology 52(S4) Article DOI: 10.1086/658900.
Gupta D and Jain HK (1973) “Genetic differentiation of two Himalayan varieties of maize”, Indian Journal of Genetics and Plant Breeding 33 414.
Gupta SM (1996) Plants in Indian Temple Art. BR Publishing, Delhi.
Haaland R (1996) A socio-economic perspective on the transition from gathering to cultivation and domestication: a case study of Sorghum in the Middle Nile Region. In: Aspects of African Archeology Association of Prehistory and Related Studies (Eds: Pwiti G and Soper R) pp 391-400, University of Zimbabwe Publication, Harare
Haaland R (1999) The puzzle of the late emergence of the domesticated sorghum in the Nile Valley. In: The Prehistory of Food Appetites for Change (Eds: Gosden Ch and Hather H) pp 397-418, London
Harlan JR (1975) Crops and man. American Society of Agronomy, Madison, Wisconsin, (2nd edition)
Harlan JR and Stemler ABL (1976) The races of sorghum in Africa. In: Origins of African Plant Domestication (Eds: Harlan JR, De Wet JMJ and Stemler ABL,) pp 465-478, Mouton, The Hague
Herman CP (1997) Harappan Gujarat the archeology-chronology connection. Paltorient 22 77-112
Hymowitz T (1972) The trans-domestication concept as applied to guar. Economic Botany 26 49-60
Johannessen CL and Wang Siming (1998) “American crop plants in Asia before A.D.1500”, Pre-Columbiana: A Journal of Long-distance Contacts 1 9-36
Joshi AB, Gadwal VR and Hardas MW (1974) Okra. In: Evolutionary Studies in World Crops. Diversity and Change in the Indian Subcontinent (Ed: Hutchinson JB) pp 99-105, Cambridge University Press
Kajale MD (1988) Plant economy. In: Excavations at Inamgaon (Eds: Dhavalikar MK, Sankali HD, Ansari ZD) Vol. I 727-820
Kajale MD (1991) Current status of Indian palaeoethnobotany: Introduced and indigenous food plants with a discussion of the historical and evolutionary development of Indian agriculture and agricultural systems in general. In: New Light on Early Farming (Ed: Renfrew JM) pp. 155-189, Edinburgh University Press Edinburgh
Kajale MD (1996) Palaeobotanical investigations at Balathal: preliminary results. Man and Environment 11 98-102
Kay D (1979) Food legumes. Tropical Products Institute (TPI) pp 26-47, TPI Crop and Product Digest No. 3 UK.
Khan AM, Saxena SK and Siddiqui ZA (1971) Efficacy of Tagetes erecta in reducing root infesting nematodes of tomato and Okra. Indian Phytopathology 24 166-169
Knowles PF (1969) Center of plant diversity and conservation of germplasm, Safflower. Economic Botany 23 324-329
Kobayashi Y (1991) Kenaf- a useful paper resource for environmental protection. In: (Ed: Arai S), pp. 20–21, Yuni Press Inc., Tokyo (in Japanese).
Kulshrestha VP (1985) History and ethnobotany of wheat in India. Journal d' Agriculture Traditionelle et de Botanique Appliquee 32 61-71
Kundu BC (1951) Origin of jute. Indian J Genet 2 95–99
Levey Martin (1966) The Medical Formulary of Aqrabadhin of Al-Kindi, Translated with a study of its Materia Medica. Milwaukee: University of Wisconsin Press.
Makasheva RKh (1983) The Pea, Oxonian Press, New Delhi (Translated from Russian edition, 1973).
Merrick LG (1995) Squashes, pumpkins and gourds Cucurbita (Cucurbitaceae). In: Evolution of Crop Plants (Eds: Smartt J and Simmonds NW) pp. 97-104, Longman Group UK
Munro-Hay SCH (1996) Aksumite Overseas Interests. In: The Indian Ocean in Antiquity (Ed: Reads J) pp 403-416, London/New York
Nadkarni KM. (Ed) (1914) Indian Plants and Drugs with Their Medical Properties and Uses. Madras: Norton and Company (Reprinted 1998).
Pandey DS (2000) “Exotics—introduced and natural immigrants, weeds, cultivated, etc.,” In: Flora of India. Introductory Volume (Part II), (Eds: Singh NP et al.,) pp. 266-301, Botanical Survey of India, Calcutta.
Panella LKJ, James K and Gepts P (1993) Vignin diversity in wild and cultivated taxa of Vigna unguiculata (L.) Walp. (Fabaceae). Economic Botany 47 371-386
Pant KC, Chandel KPS and Joshi BS (1982) Analysis of diversity in Indian cowpea genetic resources. SABRO J 14 103–111
Pokharia AK and Saraswat KS (1999) “Plant economy during Kushana period (100-300 A.D.) at ancient Sanghol, Punjab,” Pragdhara [Journal of the Uttar Pradesh State Archaeology Department] 9 75-104
Pokharia AK, Pal JN and Srivastava A (2009) Plant macro-remains from Neolithic Jhusi in Ganga Plain: evidences for grain-based agriculture. Curr Sci 97 564-571
Pokharia AK (2008) Palaeoethnobotanical record of cultivated crops and associated weeds and wild taxa from Neolithic site, Tokwa, Uttar Pradesh, India. Curr Sci 94 248-254
Porteres R (1951) Elusine coracana Gaertner, céréale des humanites pauvres des pays tropicaux. Bulletin de I’Institut Francais de l’ Afrique Noire 13 1-78
Pullaiah T (2002) Medicinal Plants in India. 2 vols. Regency Publications, New Delhi.
Ramanujam S (1976) Chickpea. In: Evolution of Crop Plants (Ed: Simmonds NW) pp 157-158, Longman Press, London
Rao SR (2008) Agriculture in the Indus Civilization. In: History of Science, Philosophy and Culture in Indian Civilization. (G.Ed: Chattopadhyaya DP) Vol. V. Part I. History of Agriculture in India (up to c.1200 AD) (Eds: Lallanji Gopal and Srivastava VC,.) pp 171-202, PHISPC Centre for Studies in Civilization, Delhi.
Roys Ralph L (1931) The Ethno-Botany of the Maya. Middle American Research Institute, Publication No. 2. Tulane University, New Orleans
Salim A, Simons A, Waruhin A and Orwa C (1998) Agroforestry Tree Database: A Tree Species Reference and Selection Guide and Tree Suppliers Directory. ICRAF, Nairobi
Sankalia HD, Subbarao B. and Deo SB (1958) The excavations at Maheshwar and Nevadatoli 1952-53. The Deccan College Post Graduate and Research Institute, Poona and Maharaja Sivaji Rao University Baroda.
Sankalia HD (1959) Civilization of Maheshwar and Nevadatoli. J. Gujarat Research Society 16 323-336
Saraswat KS and Pokharia AK (2002) Harappan plant economy at ancient Balu, Haryana. Pragdhara 12 153-172
Saraswat KS and Pokharia AK (2003) Palaeoethnobotanical investigations at Early Harappan Kunal. Pragdhara 13 105-139
Saraswat KS, Rajagopalan G and Prasad Ravi (2008) A pivotal evidence of custard apple: Evocative of some pre-Columbian network contact between Asia and America. Pragdhara 18 283-308
Saraswat KS, Sharma NK and Saini DC (1994) “Plant economy at ancient Narhan (ca. 1300 BC-300/400 AD). In: Excavations at Narhan (1984-1989) (Ed: Singh P) pp 255-346, Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi
Saraswat KS, Srivastava C and Pokharia AK (2000) Palaeobotanical and pollen analytical investigations. In Indian Archaeology (1994–95) – A Review pp. 96–97, ASI, New Delhi
Saraswat KS (1986) Ancient crop economy of Harappans from Rohira, Punjab (ca. 2000–1700 BC). Palaeobotanist, 35 32–38
Saraswat KS (1992) Archaeobotanical remains in ancient culture and socio-economical dynamics of the Indian subcontinent. Palaeobotanist 40 514-545
Saraswat KS (1993) Plant economy of late Harappan at Hulas. Purattatva 23 1-12
Saraswat KS (2004a) Plant economy in ancient Malhar. Pragdhara 14 137-172
Saraswat KS (2004b) Plant economy of early farming communities. In: Early Farming Communities of the Kaimur (Singh BP, ed.) pp 416-534, Publication Scheme Jaipur
Saraswat KS (2005) Agricultural background of the early farming communities in the Middle Gangetic Plain. Pragdhara 15 145-177
Sauer Jonathan D (1993) Historical Geography of Crop Plants: A Select Roster. pp 15, Boca Raton, Florida: CRC Press,
Sharma TR and Jana S (2002) Random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) variation in Fagopyrum tataricum Gaertn. Accessions from China and the Himalayan region. Euphytica 127 327-333
Singh Anurudh K (2016) Exotic Ancient Plant Introductions: Part of Indian ‘Ayurveda’ Medicinal System. Plant Genet Resour C 14
Singh Anurudh K (2016) Revisiting the Status of Cultivated Plant Species Agrobiodiversity in India: An Overview Proc Indian Natn Sci Acad 82
Smartt J, Simmonds NW (Eds) (1995) Evolution of Crop Plants. p 531, Longman Group UK
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