Soil, fertilizer and plant density : Exploring the influence of environmental factors to stable nitrogen and carbon isotope composition in cereal grain
(2024) In Journal of Archaeological Science 163.- Abstract
Stable isotope analysis (N and C) of fossil cereal grains is regularly explored as a means of obtaining insights to past crop growing conditions and agricultural practices. In this study, we assessed how several growth conditions can affect δ15N and δ13C values of modern cereal grain with the aim to help understand isotopic values from ancient cereal remains. We investigated the impact of fertilizer intensity, plant density, and soil type on cereal grain δ15N and δ13C values in a short-term field experiment using hulled and naked barley, bread wheat, emmer wheat, einkorn, spelt wheat, rye, and oat. We found the following key results: 1) while fertilizing had a significant effect on... (More)
Stable isotope analysis (N and C) of fossil cereal grains is regularly explored as a means of obtaining insights to past crop growing conditions and agricultural practices. In this study, we assessed how several growth conditions can affect δ15N and δ13C values of modern cereal grain with the aim to help understand isotopic values from ancient cereal remains. We investigated the impact of fertilizer intensity, plant density, and soil type on cereal grain δ15N and δ13C values in a short-term field experiment using hulled and naked barley, bread wheat, emmer wheat, einkorn, spelt wheat, rye, and oat. We found the following key results: 1) while fertilizing had a significant effect on δ15N values in grain, the impact varied between species, and cereals grown in heavy clay had consistently higher δ15N values in grain compared to those grown in light sandy soil, and 2) the δ13C values were significantly different between cereal species, but the difference was very similar between the two experimental site-locations. These findings obtained from plants grown under known conditions contribute to better understand how natural conditions and anthropogenic activities effect crop isotopic data and is of relevance for isotopic research on archaeological crop remains.
(Less)
- author
- Larsson, Mikael LU ; Bergman, Jakob LU and Olsson, Pål Axel LU
- organization
- publishing date
- 2024
- type
- Contribution to journal
- publication status
- published
- subject
- keywords
- Archaeobotany, Cereal grain, Crop growing experiment, Stable nitrogen and carbon isotopes
- in
- Journal of Archaeological Science
- volume
- 163
- article number
- 105935
- publisher
- Academic Press
- external identifiers
-
- scopus:85183044654
- ISSN
- 0305-4403
- DOI
- 10.1016/j.jas.2024.105935
- language
- English
- LU publication?
- yes
- additional info
- Publisher Copyright: © 2024 The Authors
- id
- 4b980163-c12c-49ea-8473-30b986299ab3
- date added to LUP
- 2024-02-06 12:56:17
- date last changed
- 2024-02-06 13:36:34
@article{4b980163-c12c-49ea-8473-30b986299ab3, abstract = {{<p>Stable isotope analysis (N and C) of fossil cereal grains is regularly explored as a means of obtaining insights to past crop growing conditions and agricultural practices. In this study, we assessed how several growth conditions can affect δ<sup>15</sup>N and δ<sup>13</sup>C values of modern cereal grain with the aim to help understand isotopic values from ancient cereal remains. We investigated the impact of fertilizer intensity, plant density, and soil type on cereal grain δ<sup>15</sup>N and δ<sup>13</sup>C values in a short-term field experiment using hulled and naked barley, bread wheat, emmer wheat, einkorn, spelt wheat, rye, and oat. We found the following key results: 1) while fertilizing had a significant effect on δ<sup>15</sup>N values in grain, the impact varied between species, and cereals grown in heavy clay had consistently higher δ<sup>15</sup>N values in grain compared to those grown in light sandy soil, and 2) the δ<sup>13</sup>C values were significantly different between cereal species, but the difference was very similar between the two experimental site-locations. These findings obtained from plants grown under known conditions contribute to better understand how natural conditions and anthropogenic activities effect crop isotopic data and is of relevance for isotopic research on archaeological crop remains.</p>}}, author = {{Larsson, Mikael and Bergman, Jakob and Olsson, Pål Axel}}, issn = {{0305-4403}}, keywords = {{Archaeobotany; Cereal grain; Crop growing experiment; Stable nitrogen and carbon isotopes}}, language = {{eng}}, publisher = {{Academic Press}}, series = {{Journal of Archaeological Science}}, title = {{Soil, fertilizer and plant density : Exploring the influence of environmental factors to stable nitrogen and carbon isotope composition in cereal grain}}, url = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jas.2024.105935}}, doi = {{10.1016/j.jas.2024.105935}}, volume = {{163}}, year = {{2024}}, }