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Woodland Period Plant Use / 125 tory (see stewart 1989,2004 for discussion of trade and exchange).Therefore, the way in which people farmed (polyculture vs. monoculture; formalized garden plots vs. “random” sowing), the intended outcome of the harvest (green vs. mature kernels; food vs. alcohol), and who had access to the crop (group resource or sacred comestible utilized only by a small number of individuals ) most likely differed between groups participating in these interaction networks.Differences would be most pronounced as distance between groups increased. People in the Dr W most likely utilized maize differently than groups in new york or in the ohio Valley. Additionally, people in the southern portion of the DrW in all likelihood interacted with this crop in a manner inconsistent with that of groups to the north (see Fritz 1990). Accompanying the apparent sociocultural variability is a substantial degree of agroecological complexity present within these ancient farming systems . The widely cited “three sisters” crop complex of maize, beans, and squash—thought to be the basis of prehistoric farming—was only established several centuries before european colonization (hart 2007;hart et al. 2002). Prior to this, in segments of Pennsylvania and new york there existed an agroeconomy based upon the cultivation of maize and members of the eastern Agricultural Complex (Asch sidell 2008a; hart and Asch sidell 1996;mcConaughy 2008).While these farming systems had been abandoned prior to european colonization, scholars have recently begun to reconstruct hypothetical models based upon the biological and physiological requirements of the constituent plant populations as well as insights gleaned from archaeological,experimental,contemporary,and early historic farming practices (scarry 2008;scarry and yarnell 2006). According to these accounts, when grown independently of maize, the small seeded annuals were probably broadcast sown across newly flooded areas or open fields and subsequently thinned to achieve maximum yield through the establishment of dense stands without overcrowding (Asch and Asch 1985b; smith and Cowan 2003). The structure of these plots likely changed when planted in conjunction with maize.maize may have been surrounded by chenopod, while domesticated marshelder and sunflower were possibly hilled (scarry 2008;scarry and yarnell 2006). other strategies may have involved systems consistent with traditional farming practices such as baranaaja from the himalayan region of india.Baranaaja, meaning “12 grain,” involves planting 12 or more different types of pulses,millets,and amaranths simultaneously in a “jumbled profusion which at first glance would appear a mess, but which probably [was] a carefully considered way of obtaining optimal and sustained yields” (Kothari 1999). The diverse genetic composition of this crop assemblage promotes resilience to pathogenic and climatic 126 / Chapter 6 stress. Crops also mature at different times of the year, which further protects against food shortage. Two species of midcontinental cultigens encountered in the study area are little barley and maygrass. Both are cool-season grasses, meaning they do not produce seed when sown in the spring. rather, these plants require a coolweather growing period in order to flower (Fischer et al. 1982). since these two grasses share similar growth requirements, scholars suggest they may have been cultivated together over the winter as maslins (Asch and Asch 1985b;scarry 2008;scarry and yarnell 2006). in spite of the significant contribution initial studies have provided,much remains to be discovered about the nuances and complexities of ancient agroecosystems . For instance, what effect do varying edaphic factors have on the development of these cultigens? Can grain harvested from these plants be processed together, negating the need to harvest each crop independently? structured, multiyear experimental cultivation projects may provide further insight into these and other interspecific relationships present within the ancient eastern Woodlands agroecologies. seed dormancy, for instance, remains an important yet underreported— and perhaps poorly understood—aspect of prehistoric cultivation strategies. While all seeds contain mechanisms for delaying germination, to break dormancy most plants require a chemical change resulting from drying, light, or varying temperature cycles. requirements for conditioning seeds tend to vary from species to species and even between mature and immature seeds.Baskin and Baskin (1998) explain their findings that immature seeds of Avena fatua (wild oat) germinated at a rate of 62 percent while mature ones failed to germinate due to dormancy. in other plants, immature seeds were shown to germinate faster than their mature counterparts due to the effects of drying combined with an impermeable seed coat (Baskin and Baskin 1998).Alternatively,little barley matures from top to bottom along the spikelet and many seeds are viable 11 days after...

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