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New methods and progress in research on the origins and evolution of prehistoric agriculture in China

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Abstract

China is one of the main global centers of origin of agriculture. Foxtail millet (Setaria italica), common millet (Panicum miliaceum), and rice (Oryza sativa) were the first crops to be domesticated in China. There remain many uncertainties and controversies in our current understanding of the chronology, locations, and plant types at the origins and the process of evolution of prehistoric millet and rice farming, and their relationships with climate change and human adaptation. This review summarizes the research progress made by Chinese scientists over the last decade on the origins and evolution of prehistoric agriculture. It highlights novel techniques and methods for identifying early crop remains, including plant macrofossils (carbonized seeds, spikelets), microfossils (phytoliths, calciphytoliths, starch, pollen), and biomarkers; new evidence on the origins, development, and spread of early agriculture; and research related to climate and environmental changes. Further, we pinpoint and discuss existing challenges and potential opportunities for further in-depth investigation of the origins and evolution of agriculture and the adaption of human activities to climate change.

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Acknowledgements

We are grateful to Yang YiMin, Mao LiMi, Zheng YunFei, Zhang JianPing, He KeYang, Huan XiuJia, Zhao ZhiJun, Yang XiaoYan, Dong GuangHui for allowing us to reprint figures or valuable comments. We are grateful to the two peer reviewers who provided valuable comments. This work was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant No. 41230104), the National Basic Research Program of China (Grant No. 2015CB953801), the “Strategic Priority Research Program: Climate Change, Carbon Budget and Relevant Issues” of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (Grant No. XDA05130602) and the “Macroevolutionary Processes and Paleoenvironments of Major Historical Biota” of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (Grant No. XDPB0503).

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  1. Key Laboratory of Cenozoic Geology and Environment, Institute of Geology and Geophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100029, China

    HouYuan Lu

  2. Center for Excellence in Tibetan Plateau Earth Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100101, China

    HouYuan Lu

  3. University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China

    HouYuan Lu

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Lu, H. New methods and progress in research on the origins and evolution of prehistoric agriculture in China. Sci. China Earth Sci. 60, 2141–2159 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11430-017-9145-2

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