PLB143 Evolution of Crop Plants: Domestication, Dissemination and Genetic Diversity

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(from Codex Magliabechiano facsimile, University of California Press 1903)	PLB143: Evolution of Crop Plants The origins of agriculture and the domestication of plants Spring Quarter Paul Gepts, Department of Plant Sciences, Section of Crop & Ecosystem Sciences University of California, Davis You are visitor number since February 7th, 1997.

Agriculture, the deliberate planting and harvesting of plants and herding of animals, is one of the greatest inventions of humanity. It has had marked biological, societal, and ecological consequences, which perdure tothis day and will do so for many years to come. In this course, we will examine the evolutionary processes that have affected plants during and after domestication. Specifically, we will discuss some of the modern analytical tools that have allowed plant biologists and archaeologists to learn more about crop evolution. We will examine where plant cultivation started and how plants were modified as a consequence of the selection pressures imposed by cultivation leading to their eventual domestication. Some of the questions we will attempt to answer, are: Where did agriculture originate and when? Where did our major crops originate? Where were they domesticated? How were plants modified as a consequence of cultivation? Information about crop evolution, and specifically on patterns of genetic diversity generated by evolution prior, during, and after domestication, is important to develop sound genetic conservation programs (see course PLB151, Conservation of Plant Genetic Resources) and also increases the efficiency of breeding programs (see course PLB154, Plant Breeding).

Lecture Outlines Lecture 01: What is crop evolution? Lecture 02: Who's who in the history of the study of crop evolution? Lecture 03: Lifestyles of the hunters and gatherers Lecture 04: Why did agriculture start? Lecture 05: Contemporary methods in the study of crop evolution: Plant Science Lecture 06: Contemporary methods in the study of crop evolution: Archaeology Midterm 01 Lecture 08: What is a crop? The domestication syndrome Lecture 09: What is a weed? Lecture 10: Where did agriculture start? Centers of origin and diversity Lecture 11: Major dissemination pathways of crops Lecture 12: How was agriculture disseminated? The case of Europe Lecture 13: Non-Human Farmers: Ants, Termites, and Beetles Midterm 02 Lecture 15: How did plants evolve under domestication? Fate of genetic diversity Lecture 16: How did plants evolve under domestication? Inheritance of the domestication syndrome Lecture 17: How did plants evolve under domestication? Yield and physiological aspects Lecture 18: Future directions in the study of crop evolution Lecture 19: In the end, how does all of this matter? (1) Will agriculture continue to feed and cloth the world? Lecture 20: In the end, how does all of this matter? (2) The origin of crops and what it tells us about ownership of biological resources	The crop of the day Amaranth, Amaranthus spp. Avocado, Persea americana Cacao, Theobroma cacao (need Adobe Acrobat Reader) Cashew, Anacardium occidentale (need Adobe Acrobat Reader) Cassava, Manihot esculenta Cherry, Prunus avium & P. cerasus (need Adobe Acrobat Reader) Date palm, Phoenix dactylifera Durian, Durio zibethinus Kumquat, Fortunella spp. (need Adobe Acrobat Reader) Mango, Mangifera indica (need Adobe Acrobat Reader) Mate, Ilex paraguariensis Melon, Cucumis melo Papaya, Carica papaya (need Adobe Acrobat Reader) Passionfruit, Passiflora edulis (need Adobe Acrobat Reader) Pineapple, Ananas comosus Pistachio, Pistachia vera (need Adobe Acrobat Reader) Pomegranate, Punicum granatum (need Adobe Acrobat Reader) Strawberry, Fragaria ananassa Tea, Camellia sinensis (need Adobe Acrobat Reader)

Recent Research on the Origins of Agriculture and Crop and Animal Domestication in the News! Click here

General Course Information

Course
General Information List of Lectures General References	How are exams graded? Study questions midterm 1 Study questions midterm 2 (pdf) Study questions final exam (pdf)
Term paper
List of crops for term papers Term paper schedule Format of term papers (pdf) Term paper session 1 (pdf; April 17)	Example of term paper Tips for literature reference citations (by Andy Ross; MS Word) Term paper session 2 (date change: May 22) Avoid plagiarism (from UC Davis Office of Student Judicial Affairs)

Important notice: This course material is provided freely for personal use. Please cite as: Gepts P (n.d.) The evolution of crop plants. http://www.agronomy.ucdavis.edu/gepts/pb143/pb143.htm. © Paul Gepts 1995-2008 For institutional or for-profit use, please contact Paul Gepts at the University of California, Davis: plgepts at ucdavis dot edu.