Tracing Domestication and Cultivation of Bananas from Phytoliths: An update from Papua New Guinea

Lentfer, Carol

doi:10.17348/era.7.0.247-270

Cited by 29 publications

(23 citation statements)

References 23 publications

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“…have been used for identification to the genus level, although they are less readily differentiable to the species level than seed phytoliths (22)(23)(24). Here, discriminating morphological criteria of leaf and seed phytoliths are reexamined and augmented for reliable interspecific and intraspecific differentiation within Musa and between Musa and Ensete (Figs.…”

Section: Musa Genetics and Domestication Thresholdsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Multidisciplinary perspectives on banana ( Musa spp.) domestication

Perrier

Langhe

Donohue

et al. 2011

Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A.

438

405

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Original multidisciplinary research hereby clarifies the complex geodomestication pathways that generated the vast range of banana cultivars (cvs). Genetic analyses identify the wild ancestors of modern-day cvs and elucidate several key stages of domestication for different cv groups. Archaeology and linguistics shed light on the historical roles of people in the movement and cultivation of bananas from New Guinea to West Africa during the Holocene. The historical reconstruction of domestication processes is essential for breeding programs seeking to diversify and improve banana cvs for the future.plant genetics | historical linguistics | archaeobotany | diploid banana cultivars | triploid banana cultivars N ew multidisciplinary findings from archaeology, genetics, and linguistics clarify the complex geodomestication pathways-the geographical configurations of hybridization and dispersalthat generated the range of modern banana cultivars (cvs). Although recent molecular research, combined with the outcomes of previous genetic studies, elucidates major stages of banana domestication, such as the generation of edible diploids and triploids, it sheds only partial light on the historical and sociospatial contexts of domestication. The geographic distributions of genotypes involved in banana domestication require human translocations of plants, most likely under vegetative forms of cultivation, across vast regions. Linguistic analyses of (traditional) local terms for bananas reveal several striking regional-scale correspondences between genetic and linguistic patterns. These multidisciplinary findings enable the relative dating of the principal events in banana geodomestication and situate banana cultivation within broader sociospatial contexts. Archaeological findings provide a timeline to anchor and calibrate the relative chronology.

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Section: Musa Genetics and Domestication Thresholdsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Multidisciplinary perspectives on banana ( Musa spp.) domestication

Perrier

Langhe

Donohue

et al. 2011

Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A.

438

405

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

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“…The exact nature of the banana plants under cultivation is not known, but they are considered to include M. acuminata-types (Lentfer 2009) and thus specifically subspecies banksii, the only M. acuminata subspecies present on New Guinea. Despite the lack of specificity provided by the microfossil evidence in terms of domestication status, the Kuk evidence provides a broad temporal framework for understanding banana cultivation and domestication in the New Guinea region.…”

Section: The Generation Of Edible Aa In Isea-new Guineamentioning

confidence: 99%

The Original Banana Split: Multi-disciplinary implications of the generation of African and Pacific Plantains in Island Southeast Asia

Langhe

Perrier²,

Donohue

et al. 2015

Ethnobot. Res. App.

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Traditional starchy banana cultivation in the humid tropics is dominated by two widespread, but geographically discrete, groups of AAB cultivars: plantains in Africa and maoli-popo`ulu in the Pacific. Both AAB subgroups exhibit exceptionally high cultivar diversity due to multiple somatic mutations, and yet both subgroups have relatively similar genetic origins. Although both cultivar groups originated within a region defined by the Philippines, Eastern Indonesia, and New Guinea, the precise area of origin for each AAB group within this region is different. Significantly, the distribution of each sub-group is mutually exclusive: traditional cultivation of maoli-popo`ulu cultivars is not attested to the West of the region and of plantain cultivars to the East. On the basis of botanical data, we argue that the original plantain hybrids were probably formed in the Philippines, while basic maoli-popo`ulu were formed in the Bismarck Archipelago and the Solomon Islands. The generation of these two AAB subgroups shed light on human interactions within Island Southeast Asia before 3000 cal BP, for which there is currently only limited archaeological evidence. The Banana "Split" and Its Historical ImplicationsTraditional starchy banana cultivation in the humid tropics is dominated by two very diverse subgroups of cultivars, especially in Africa and Oceania: 'AAB plantain' ( Figure 1A) and 'AAB maoli-popo`ulu' (Figure 1B). Both cultivar subgroups are triploid hybrids of Musa acuminata Colla (A) and Musa balbisiana Colla (B). We adopt here the acronyms "P" for the AAB plantain-subgroup and "MP" for the AAB maoli-popo`ulu subgroup. Other traditional AAB exist in Oceania, especially in New Guinea, but these are

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“…Hence, it shows that starch granule analysis has the promise of being another valuable tool for palaeobotanical analysis, complementary to other microfossil studies including raphides and phytoliths (Lentfer 2009b, Vrydaghs et al 2009). Therefore, while further development is necessary to clarify the diagnostic reliability of traits and levels of specificity, there is undoubtedly good potential for starch analysis to facilitate more robust interpretations of archaeobotanical assemblages and for tracking the history of banana dispersal and domestication, not only in Papua New Guinea, but throughout all the regions important to banana prehistory.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Going Bananas in Papua New Guinea: A preliminary study of starch granule morphotypes in Musaceae fruit

Lentfer

2009

Ethnobot. Res. App.

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Starch granules can be well preserved in a variety of archaeological contexts, for example, in residues and sediments. Therefore, starch analysis has potential to provide another means of tracking the exploitation, dispersal and domestication of Musa bananas and Ensete. Starch granule morphotypes from fruits of Ensete glaucum and wild and cultivated Australimusa and Eumusa bananas were analyzed in this preliminary study. Numerous starch granule morphotypes were present in every sample analyzed. One hundred and nine morphotypes, representing 38 morphotype groups (variants) were described. Of these, several are specific to the samples analyzed and others occurred in more than one sample. They can be used to discriminate between different genera, sections, species and cultivars. Raphides were also numerous in wild Australimusa bananas. Although additional studies are required to determine levels of specificity, this preliminary study shows that starch analysis (and raphide presence and abundance) can be used in a similar way to phytolith analysis in the identification of Musaceae and has extremely good potential as a tool for tracing the prehistory of bananas in the archaeological record. IntroductionStarch granules can be well preserved in a variety of archaeological contexts, in residues on stone tools, pottery, other artefacts, ecofacts, dental calculus and in sediments and coprolites (e.g., Barton & Paz 2007, Crowther 2005, Englyst et al. 1992, Fullagar et al. 2006, Horrocks et al. 2004, Lentfer et al. 2002, Parr & Carter 2003, Piperno et al. 2004, Therin et al. 1999, Zarillo et al. 2008. Therefore, similar to phytoliths, starch granules promise to provide another way of tracking the prehistory of banana exploitation, dispersal and domestication. Given that bananas and Ensete are major starch-rich staples in many regions Published: July 30, 2009 Ethnobotany Research & Applications 218www.ethnobotanyjournal.org/vol7/i1547-3465-07-217.pdf

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Tracing Domestication and Cultivation of Bananas from Phytoliths: An update from Papua New Guinea

Cited by 29 publications

References 23 publications

Multidisciplinary perspectives on banana ( Musa spp.) domestication

Multidisciplinary perspectives on banana ( Musa spp.) domestication

The Original Banana Split: Multi-disciplinary implications of the generation of African and Pacific Plantains in Island Southeast Asia

Going Bananas in Papua New Guinea: A preliminary study of starch granule morphotypes in Musaceae fruit

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