Were Fertile Crescent crop progenitors higher yielding than other wild species that were never domesticated?

ABSTRACT: During the origin of agriculture in the Fertile Crescent, the broad spectrum of wild plant species exploited by hunter-gatherers narrowed dramatically. The mechanisms responsible for this specialization and the associated domestication of plants are intensely debated. We investigated why some species were domesticated rather than others, and which traits they shared. We tested whether the progenitors of cereal and pulse crops, grown individually, produced a higher yield and less chaff than other wild grasses and legumes, thereby maximizing the return per seed planted and minimizing processing time. We compared harvest traits of species originating from the Fertile Crescent, including those for which there is archaeological evidence of deliberate collection. Unexpectedly, wild crop progenit

SUBMITTER: Preece C 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4949991 | biostudies-literature | 2015 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature