Get complete information on Origin of Cultivated Plants

Through carbon dating, of human remains and utility items, it has been found that prehistoric humans led a nomadic life of hunter-gatherer. Agriculture originated about 10,000 years ago.

However, hunter-gatherer tribes (e.g. Kung Bushmen of Kalahari desert) still persist. Early humans preferred plants with multiple uses, e.g. Coconut, Date-Palm, Mulberry, Acacia. Agriculture originated in river valley areas and well watered,highlands like those of Indus, Nile, Tigris, Euphrates, Tehuacan valley, Yellow River Valley, etc. Grain and pulses are unpalatable without cooking. They therefore, became part of diet only when fire had been used for cooking’and roasting.

Vavilov’s Centres of Origin:

Nikolai hanovitch Vavilov (1926) proposed different centres of origin for various crop plants on two criteria (i) Occurrence & wild relatives, (ii) Occurrence of maximum variations in the crop.

They are 11 in number, which are as follows:

(1) South-East Asia: Rice, Pigeon Pea, Banana, Mango, Orange, Brinjal, Black-Pepper, Sugarcane,

(2) China: Onion, Tea, Soyabean.

(3) South- West Asia: Wheat.

(4) Asia Minor and Afganistan: Rye, Lentil, Apple, Pear, Apricot, Pomegranate, Pistachio, Almond.

(5) Mediterranean: Oat, Lettuce, Cabbage, Beet.

(6) Ethiopia: Barley, Sorghum, Coffee.

(7) Brazil: Groundnut, Pineapple, Rubber.

(8) Peruvian Andes: Potato, Tomato, Chilli.

(9) Mexico and Central America: Maize & cotton.

(10) USA: Sunflower.

(11) European Siberian Region: Cherry, Cichory, Hops.

Important plants of New World are Maize, Potato, Tomato, Sunflower, Groundnut, Red Pepper (Chilli), Pineapple, Guava, Sapota, Cashew, Cocao & Coca.

Natural Home:

It is place of origin of a cultivated crop.

Secondary Home: It is the major centre of production of a crop where wild relatives do not occur and which is far away from the centre of origin or natural home. India is secondary home for groundnut whose natural home is Peru & Brazil.

Plants as Sources:

From early times, Angiosperms are meeting the basic necessities of man i.e., food, clothing, and shelter. All the requirements of food are coming from cereals, vegetables, pulses, fruits and roots etc. Fibres derived from plants are used as cloth and other different purposes i.e., ropes, bags, nets etc. Wood obtained from plants are used as structural unit for shelter and also used as furniture, fuel, alcohol and gas etc.

Besides these basic needs angiosperms are also used as spices, drugs, oil etc.