Notes on History of Horticulture - Horticulture Science | HORT 2000, Study notes of Gardening and Horticulture

Download Notes on History of Horticulture - Horticulture Science | HORT 2000 and more Study notes Gardening and Horticulture in PDF only on Docsity! AUGUST 19 TH , 2011 1. History of Horticulture (dates won’t be on test) a. Begins with intentional planting (seed planted—plant begins) 2. Origins of Agriculture (horticulture) a. In the beginning… i. Early humans depended on hunting/gathering ii. Intentional planting of crops: 10-15,000 BP iii. Arose around the 8 centers of origin iv. Started with adapted wild plants 1. Particularly wheat—it will shatter (native wheat), a wind or a touch of something the seed will shatter a. One of the first things that humans did was chose 4 types of wheat that won’t shatter b. Shatter resistance – based on selection to find the one that will not shatter to grow (evolution with this characteristic) v. Allowed for settlements and increases in rates of “advancement” in civilization 3. Changes Accompanied Adoption of Agricultural Lifestyle a. Increase in population b. More leisure time? c. Increase in sedentary lifestyle d. Increase in civilization e. Increase in warriors and warfare f. Increase in social stratification g. Increased urban problems like crime and disease h. Decreased knowledge of indigenous plants i. Increased famine and dietary diseases 4. Changes to Crops (mostly by human intervention) a. Shattering ability in grains b. Potato tubers borne close to plant c. Thin vs. Thick shells in nuts 5. Modifications to Mustard a. Has given rise to all these members of the same groupings of plants i. Brocolli, cabbage, brussell sprouts, kale, kohirabi, cauliflower ii. These all are decedents of the mustard plant 6. Corn kernel varieties—preserved corncobs a. Is not what it was several hundred years ago, but possibly a cross of several different plants 7. Early Horticulturists a. Theophrastus (371-286 BP) i. Wrote two important books on plants ii. Earliest known systematic author b. Discoirides (40-90) i. Medical botanist ii. De Materia Medica a. To understand the natural world and humankind’s place in it solely on the basis of reason and without turning to religious belief. b. Better food supplies c. Increase in agricultural productivity 16. What do these two people have in common? a. Jethro Toll have the same name i. One is in a band with this name and one is an agriculture guy who develops farm implements (plows, etc) 17. Early Botanists and Exploreers a. John Bartram and son William Bartram i. Paid by promoters in England to collect plants in the southeast and ship them back ii. Did a lot of research in Georgia b. James Oglethorpe establishes Trustees Garden c. Andre Michaux d. Thomas Jefferson and Monticello 18. Seed companies and nurseries a. David Landreth seed business at Philadelphia in 1784 (first garden supply store) b. Shaking Quakers (Shakers)—beginnings of seed packets (1789) i. Fatal flaw—celibacy—can’t carry on a group of people without reproduction c. Park seed co. 1868 d. Burpee 1876 e. Ball 1905 19. Nursury industry a. Robert Prince Nursery in Long Island –1737 b. Stark Brothers Nursery –1816 i. Red delicious/Golden Delicios apple c. Downing Fruit Nursery –1838 d. Fruitland Nursery—1858 i. Is now Augusta National Golf Course ii. P.J. Berkmans iii. Augusta, GA iv. Camellias, azaleas, magnolias 1. Classic southern landscapes 20. Early Horticulture Figures in modern horti. a. Andrew Jackson Downing i. 1815-1852 (dies at the age of 37 in a steamboat accident) ii. Begins as an publisher of “The Horticulturist” magazine and books 1. Popularized landscape design, horticulture 2. Promoted good practices amongst a group of people that at that point in time didn’t have access to good information 3. Wrote magazine articles, etc. to popularize the subject iii. Involved in the (landscape) design of Washington, D.C. iv. Forward thinker in horticulture b. Gregor Mendel i. Considered the father of genetics 1. Pundit square a. Dominant vs. Recessive genes 2. Peas and the breeding of peas c. Genetic traits inherited d. L.H. Bailey i. Responsible for extracting horticulture and making it a separate field of study ii. First president of the American society for Horticulture Science 1. Father of Hort. Science iii. Became Professor at Michigan State iv. Recruited by Cornell 1882 as Professor of v. Formation of Scientific Societies (1600s) vi. Creation of Agricultural and horticultural societies (1700s) e. State supported agricultural research (1800s) f. Luther Burbank i. 1849-1926 ii. Wide promoter of a lot of different varieties of fruits and veggies 1. When he passes away he leaves his fruit and veggies to a nursery a. Red and golden delicious apples g. J.C. Loudon i. 1783-1843 ii. Landscape planner b. Germplasm preservation i. Gene banks 1. Largely seed collections 2. Frozen stem sections c. Preservation of natural habitats (especially in centers of origin) d. Debate over native plants 9. Where did our crops first appear? a. Three important theorists: i. Alphonse de Candolle (1806-1893) 1. Swiss botanist 2. International Rules of Bot. Nomenclature (1867) a. Combine culture, history, and science that develops a theory of how to determine the origin of plants 3. Famous book Origin of Cultivated Plants (1882) a. Beginning of crop geography b. What evidence determines the origin of a crop i. Botanical c. Archaeological d. Historical e. Linguistic b. Charles Darwin (1809-1882) i. British naturalist ii. Theories of evolutaion and natural selection iii. Believed all the life on earth evolved 1. Evolutionary change was gradual 2. Natural selection and “specialization” iv. On the Origin of the Species (1857) c. Nikolai I. Vavilov i. Russian Botanist (1887-1943) 1. Gives us the 8 centers of origin ii. Foremost plant geographer of contemporary times iii. Vavilov’s concepts 1. Law of Homologous Series in Variation (1920) 2. Theory of the Centers of Origin of Cultivated plants 3. Arrest in August 1940 4. Died in Saratov Prison iv. Theory of the Centers of Origin 1. Center of diversity = center of origin a. Plant species not uniform b. 8 primary world centers c. comprise small portion of the earth’s land area d. (2-3% of land area) e. 640 species listed i. 5/6 Old World ii. 1/6 New World 2. Centers of Origin a. China : i. Vegetables ii. Fruit 1. PEACH 2. Pear 3. Apple 4. Walnut b. Indian Center i. 2 different areas (main center and indo-malaysian) ii. Vegetables and tubers 1. Eggplant, cucumber, radish, taro, yam iii. Fruits 1. Mango, Orange, tangerine, citron, tamarind, BANANA, Breadfruit iv. Spices, Stimulants, Dyes, and Misc. 1. Hemp, Black pepper, indigo, cinnamon tree, sugarcane, clove, nutmeg c. Central Asiatic Center i. Includes Northwest India, Afghanistan, Tadjikistan, Uzbekistand and western Tian-Shan ii. 43 PLANTS a. Dissemination of crops i. Human migration ii. Cultural exchange iii. Trade iv. Warfare b. Scientific exploration i. Introduction to Europe ii. From the Near Ease (9,000 BP) c. Movement of Plants – pre-1500 i. Diffusion and deliberate introduction ii. Modifications in landscapes iii. After the fall of Rome; movement slowed iv. Role of the Arabs/Islamic empires v. Post 200 AD (Han Dynasty) China imported wheat, barley, peas… d. Columbian Exchange i. To Americas—Columbus moves to SW Asian (European) crop system (and some SE Asian crops) to Caribbean in 1493 ii. Main Grains fail iii. Citrus successful in Caribbean iv. Bananas by 1516 e. Movement of plants post-1500 i. Movement greatly acceleratied; ii. Beginnings of “globalization” of agriculture iii. Europe by 1800 had complete list iv. Issues in movement: 1. Hard to grow (day length sensitivebreeding new varieties) 2. Cultural bias (nightshade, Bible issues) 3. Huge impacts (population growth) a. Encourages population growth for adversity and cultivation of accessibility of plants f. Movement to Africa i. First exchange, later slave trade, then missionaries g. CROPS TO REMEMBER (where they originated) i. TOMATO: 1. Native to NORTHERN ANDES MOUNTAIN REGIONS 2. Italians first grew the tomato about 1544 3. 25 years later spread through much of Europe 4. Thomas Jefferson grew it in 1781 5. Used as food in New Orleans as early as 1812 ii. Peppers 1. Several species in Meso-and South America a. Some originated Sothern Brazil to Bolivia b. Most probably in Mexico 2. Domesticated in Mexico in 6000 3. Columbus took peppers back to Europe iii. CORN 1. Origin: Andes, Guatemala 2. Columbus brought it back to Spain, by 1544 in China 3. First published mention of sweet corn-1801 4. Super sweet, sweet corn began in early 1950s 5. Perfected in 70s and 80s grating, rooted cuttings, dividing roots