Archaeobotanical Insights into Kañawa (<i>Chenopodium pallidicaule</i> Aellen) Domestication: A Rustic Seed Crop of the Andean <i>Altiplano</i>

<i>Kañawa</i>/<i>Cañihua</i> (<i>Chenopodium pallidicaule</i> Aellen) is the lesser-known cousin of the domesticated Andean pseudocereal quinoa (<i>Chenopodium quinoa</i> Willd.). In 1970, Daniel Gade hypothesized that Andean farmers may have domestica...

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Main Author: Maria C. Bruno
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2023-08-01
Series:Agronomy
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4395/13/8/2085
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author Maria C. Bruno
author_facet Maria C. Bruno
author_sort Maria C. Bruno
collection DOAJ
description <i>Kañawa</i>/<i>Cañihua</i> (<i>Chenopodium pallidicaule</i> Aellen) is the lesser-known cousin of the domesticated Andean pseudocereal quinoa (<i>Chenopodium quinoa</i> Willd.). In 1970, Daniel Gade hypothesized that Andean farmers may have domesticated volunteer wild <i>kañawa</i> plants that occupied quinoa or potato fields after observing that they could survive harsh climatic events such as drought or frost. To revisit this question of <i>kañawa</i> domestication, this paper provides an overview of the current botanical, genetic, and archaeological knowledge of <i>kañawa</i> domestication. It then provides patterns in the presence of wild and domesticated <i>kañawa</i> seeds from archaeological sites in the southern Lake Titicaca Basin of Bolivia, spanning the Formative and Tiwanaku periods from approximately 1500 BCE to 1100 CE. This archaeobotanical evidence supports Gade’s hypothesis that <i>kañawa</i> was a later domesticate, not appearing until after 250 CE. Regional paleoclimatic evidence of frequent climatic fluctuations lends support to the argument that <i>kañawa</i> contributed to a diversified food supply, which could provide a buffer against climate risks.
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spelling doaj.art-678fb819f55849e59c6f45367e7ce85d2023-11-18T23:54:49ZengMDPI AGAgronomy2073-43952023-08-01138208510.3390/agronomy13082085Archaeobotanical Insights into Kañawa (<i>Chenopodium pallidicaule</i> Aellen) Domestication: A Rustic Seed Crop of the Andean <i>Altiplano</i>Maria C. Bruno0University of Nevada, Reno, NV 89557, USA<i>Kañawa</i>/<i>Cañihua</i> (<i>Chenopodium pallidicaule</i> Aellen) is the lesser-known cousin of the domesticated Andean pseudocereal quinoa (<i>Chenopodium quinoa</i> Willd.). In 1970, Daniel Gade hypothesized that Andean farmers may have domesticated volunteer wild <i>kañawa</i> plants that occupied quinoa or potato fields after observing that they could survive harsh climatic events such as drought or frost. To revisit this question of <i>kañawa</i> domestication, this paper provides an overview of the current botanical, genetic, and archaeological knowledge of <i>kañawa</i> domestication. It then provides patterns in the presence of wild and domesticated <i>kañawa</i> seeds from archaeological sites in the southern Lake Titicaca Basin of Bolivia, spanning the Formative and Tiwanaku periods from approximately 1500 BCE to 1100 CE. This archaeobotanical evidence supports Gade’s hypothesis that <i>kañawa</i> was a later domesticate, not appearing until after 250 CE. Regional paleoclimatic evidence of frequent climatic fluctuations lends support to the argument that <i>kañawa</i> contributed to a diversified food supply, which could provide a buffer against climate risks.https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4395/13/8/2085<i>Kañawa</i><i>Cañahua</i><i>Cañihua</i>pseudocereal domesticationAndes
spellingShingle Maria C. Bruno
Archaeobotanical Insights into Kañawa (<i>Chenopodium pallidicaule</i> Aellen) Domestication: A Rustic Seed Crop of the Andean <i>Altiplano</i>
Agronomy
<i>Kañawa</i>
<i>Cañahua</i>
<i>Cañihua</i>
pseudocereal domestication
Andes
title Archaeobotanical Insights into Kañawa (<i>Chenopodium pallidicaule</i> Aellen) Domestication: A Rustic Seed Crop of the Andean <i>Altiplano</i>
title_full Archaeobotanical Insights into Kañawa (<i>Chenopodium pallidicaule</i> Aellen) Domestication: A Rustic Seed Crop of the Andean <i>Altiplano</i>
title_fullStr Archaeobotanical Insights into Kañawa (<i>Chenopodium pallidicaule</i> Aellen) Domestication: A Rustic Seed Crop of the Andean <i>Altiplano</i>
title_full_unstemmed Archaeobotanical Insights into Kañawa (<i>Chenopodium pallidicaule</i> Aellen) Domestication: A Rustic Seed Crop of the Andean <i>Altiplano</i>
title_short Archaeobotanical Insights into Kañawa (<i>Chenopodium pallidicaule</i> Aellen) Domestication: A Rustic Seed Crop of the Andean <i>Altiplano</i>
title_sort archaeobotanical insights into kanawa i chenopodium pallidicaule i aellen domestication a rustic seed crop of the andean i altiplano i
topic <i>Kañawa</i>
<i>Cañahua</i>
<i>Cañihua</i>
pseudocereal domestication
Andes
url https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4395/13/8/2085
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