People, Plants and Genes The Story of Crops and Humanity

by Murphy, Denis J.

• ISBN13: 9780199207145
• ISBN10: 0199207143
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2007-09-12
• Publisher: Oxford University Press

Summary

This book provides a comprehensive overview of the complex story of human-plant interactions, from the hunter-gatherers of the Palaeolithic Era, through to the 21st century and the molecular genetic manipulation of crops. It links the latest advances in molecular genetics with the science and history of plant domestication, the evolution of plant breeding, and the implications of this new knowledge for both the agriculture of today and the future. Modern societies still rely on plants for most of their food needs, not to mention clothing, shelter, medicines and tools. This special relationship has tied together people and their plants in mutual dependence for over 50,000 years. Yet despite these millennia of intimate contact, people have only gone on to domesticate and cultivate a few dozen of the tens of thousands of edible plants available. Thanks to the latest genomic studies, we can now begin to explain how, when, and where some of the most important crops came to be domesticated, and the crucial role of plant genetics and climatic change in these processes. Indeed, it was their unique genetic organisations that ultimately determined which plants eventually became crops, rather than any conscious decisions by their human cultivators. The book is primarily aimed at geneticists, molecular biologists, biotechnologists, and plant breeders who require a detailed and up-to-date account of modern crop genetics and genomic research and its wider significance for agriculture. However, the accessible style will appeal to a wider readership of agronomists, archaeologists, and even historians, who wish to explore the many interactions that have shaped the often crucial relationships between plants and human societies.

Author Biography

Denis J Murphy is Professor of Biotechnology and Head of the Biotechnology Unit at the University of Glamorgan in Wales, UK, and also works as a government advisor in the areas of agriculture and biotechnology in the UK and overseas. He has broad interests in research and education, including running a schools outreach programme, and frequently participates in public debates on scientific issues ranging from stem cells & cloning to GM crops & organic farming.

Table of Contents

People and Plants: two hundred millennia of coevolution

Early human societies and their plants

Plant management and agriculture

How some people became farmers

Crops and their Genetics: 90 million years of evolution

Plant genomes

Fluid genomes, uncertain species, and the genetics of crop domestication

The domestication of cereal crops

The domestication of non-cereal crops

People, Plants, and Farming in Prehistoric Times: ten millennia of climatic and social change

People and the emergence of crops

Agriculture: a mixed blessing

Evolution of agro-urban cultures I: the Near East

Evolution of agro-urban cultures II: East and South Asia

Evolution of agro-urban cultures III: Africa, Europe and the Americas

People and Plants in Historic Times: globalisation of agriculture and the rise of science

Crop management in the Classical and Medieval Periods

Agricultural improvement and the rise of crop breeding

Imperial Botany and the early scientific breeders

Agricultural Improvement in modern times

The future of agriculture and humanity

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