The nature of crops :
Warren, John, 1962-
The nature of crops : how we came to eat the plants we do / John M. Warren, The Institute of Biological Environmental and Rural Sciences, Aberystwyth University, UK. - 1 online resource (viii, 183 pages) : illustrations
Includes bibliographical references and index.
Introduction, the nature of natural. What does domestication involve? Peanuts, Rye, Tomato -- Wild things. Recently domesticated crops and crops that have returned to the wild : Cranberries, Huckleberries, Currants, Kiwifruits, Cacao, Cashew nuts, Pistachio nuts, Cabbages -- Learning to live with exotic sexual practices. How plant breeding systems limit domestication : Vanilla, Beans, Figs, Hops, Avocados, Papayas, Carrots -- Storing up trouble. Plants with storage organs :Cassava, Yams, Potatoes, Taro, Akees, Onions -- The weird and wonderful. Herbs, spices and crops with exotic phytochemicals : Wasabi, Chillies, Saffron, Herbs, Willow, Tobacco, Cannabis, Durians -- Accidents of history. The role of chance events in domestication : Strawberries, Wheats, Bananas, Citrus, Rhubarb -- Classic combinations and recurring themes. Plant families that have been repeatedly domesticated : Grains, Legumes, Pumpkins, Spinaches -- Ownership and theft. How the economic value of crops has influenced their domestication : Breadfruits, Sugarcanes, Cloves, Rubber, Tea, Coffee, Mulberries, Monkey Puzzles, Artichokes, Pineapples -- Fifty shades of green. Nutrient rich crops and the next generation : Clovers, Ryegrass.
Access limited to subscribing institution.
This book, containing nine chapters, aims to try and ascertain why we eat so few of the plant species that are available to us on Earth. The first chapter suggests that our ancestral diets differed greatly between cultures and although some of these may have been more diverse than our own, many others would have been more monotonous. Throughout this book, different elements of the problem are tackled by exploring crop biographies as case studies. In the first chapter, this approach reveals that over the history of crop domestication, humans have successfully and repeatedly solved one of the most significant problems involved in transforming wild plants into crops, which is how to avoid being poisoned. The subsequent chapters cover in greater depth issues on how this was achieved using a number of methods, such as selecting plants that contain lower levels of toxic chemicals, adapting our own biology to be better able to digest these new foods stuffs and finally inventing methods of processing plant materials which make them safer to eat.
Food crops--History.
Plant Production.
Biological Resources (Plant)
Crop Produce.
Food Contamination, Residues and Toxicology.
Food Composition and Quality.
Diet Studies.
Ancestry.
Case studies.
Chemical composition.
Diets.
Domestication.
Edible species.
Food safety.
Plant composition.
Toxic substances.
SB175 / .W37 2015eb
633
The nature of crops : how we came to eat the plants we do / John M. Warren, The Institute of Biological Environmental and Rural Sciences, Aberystwyth University, UK. - 1 online resource (viii, 183 pages) : illustrations
Includes bibliographical references and index.
Introduction, the nature of natural. What does domestication involve? Peanuts, Rye, Tomato -- Wild things. Recently domesticated crops and crops that have returned to the wild : Cranberries, Huckleberries, Currants, Kiwifruits, Cacao, Cashew nuts, Pistachio nuts, Cabbages -- Learning to live with exotic sexual practices. How plant breeding systems limit domestication : Vanilla, Beans, Figs, Hops, Avocados, Papayas, Carrots -- Storing up trouble. Plants with storage organs :Cassava, Yams, Potatoes, Taro, Akees, Onions -- The weird and wonderful. Herbs, spices and crops with exotic phytochemicals : Wasabi, Chillies, Saffron, Herbs, Willow, Tobacco, Cannabis, Durians -- Accidents of history. The role of chance events in domestication : Strawberries, Wheats, Bananas, Citrus, Rhubarb -- Classic combinations and recurring themes. Plant families that have been repeatedly domesticated : Grains, Legumes, Pumpkins, Spinaches -- Ownership and theft. How the economic value of crops has influenced their domestication : Breadfruits, Sugarcanes, Cloves, Rubber, Tea, Coffee, Mulberries, Monkey Puzzles, Artichokes, Pineapples -- Fifty shades of green. Nutrient rich crops and the next generation : Clovers, Ryegrass.
Access limited to subscribing institution.
This book, containing nine chapters, aims to try and ascertain why we eat so few of the plant species that are available to us on Earth. The first chapter suggests that our ancestral diets differed greatly between cultures and although some of these may have been more diverse than our own, many others would have been more monotonous. Throughout this book, different elements of the problem are tackled by exploring crop biographies as case studies. In the first chapter, this approach reveals that over the history of crop domestication, humans have successfully and repeatedly solved one of the most significant problems involved in transforming wild plants into crops, which is how to avoid being poisoned. The subsequent chapters cover in greater depth issues on how this was achieved using a number of methods, such as selecting plants that contain lower levels of toxic chemicals, adapting our own biology to be better able to digest these new foods stuffs and finally inventing methods of processing plant materials which make them safer to eat.
Food crops--History.
Plant Production.
Biological Resources (Plant)
Crop Produce.
Food Contamination, Residues and Toxicology.
Food Composition and Quality.
Diet Studies.
Ancestry.
Case studies.
Chemical composition.
Diets.
Domestication.
Edible species.
Food safety.
Plant composition.
Toxic substances.
SB175 / .W37 2015eb
633