Manure for millet: Grain δ15N values as indicators of prehistoric cropping intensity of Panicum miliaceum and Setaria italica

Bent Tolstrup Christensen; Johannes Lund Jensen; Yu Dong; Amy Bogaard

doi:10.1016/j.jas.2022.105554

Manure for millet: Grain δ¹⁵N values as indicators of prehistoric cropping intensity of Panicum miliaceum and Setaria italica

Bent Tolstrup Christensen, Johannes Lund Jensen, Yu Dong, Amy Bogaard^*

^*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journal/Conference contribution in journal/Contribution to newspaper › Journal article › Research › peer-review

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Abstract

Broomcorn and foxtail millet are the only major domesticated plants indigenous to prehistoric Eurasia to rely on the C₄photosynthetic pathway. Here we study the impact of animal manure (AM) on broomcorn millet (Panicum miliaceum) and foxtail millet (Setaria italica), grown in the Askov Long-Term Experiment, using unmanured soil and soil dressed with phosphorus plus potassium (PK) as reference treatments. Animal manure had a marked effect on yields and on the δ¹⁵N values of grains. For broomcorn millets grown on manured soil, the average δ¹⁵N value was 5.8‰. When grown on unmanured and PK-treated soils, the δ¹⁵N values were 0.4‰ and 0.2‰, respectively. For foxtail millet the δ¹⁵N values also differed between grains from unmanured (-1.0‰), PK (0.7‰) and manured (6.3‰) treatments. Thus, when compared to unmanured soil, the offset due to manure was 7.3‰ for Setaria and 5.3‰ for the two Panicum varieties. In accordance with previous studies on C₃ crops, our study suggests that δ¹⁵N values in charred millet grains recovered from archaeological sites could provide a robust indicator of prehistoric manuring intensity.

Original language	English
Article number	105554
Journal	Journal of Archaeological Science
Volume	139
ISSN	0305-4403
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jas.2022.105554
Publication status	Published - Mar 2022

Keywords

Animal manure
Broomcorn millet
Crop yields
Foxtail millet
δ N offset

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10.1016/j.jas.2022.105554

1-s2.0-S0305440322000127-mainFinal published version, 5.1 MBLicence: CC BY

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@article{76e8749e99b44940be71884b25500dd5,

title = "Manure for millet: Grain δ15N values as indicators of prehistoric cropping intensity of Panicum miliaceum and Setaria italica",

abstract = "Broomcorn and foxtail millet are the only major domesticated plants indigenous to prehistoric Eurasia to rely on the C4photosynthetic pathway. Here we study the impact of animal manure (AM) on broomcorn millet (Panicum miliaceum) and foxtail millet (Setaria italica), grown in the Askov Long-Term Experiment, using unmanured soil and soil dressed with phosphorus plus potassium (PK) as reference treatments. Animal manure had a marked effect on yields and on the δ15N values of grains. For broomcorn millets grown on manured soil, the average δ15N value was 5.8‰. When grown on unmanured and PK-treated soils, the δ15N values were 0.4‰ and 0.2‰, respectively. For foxtail millet the δ15N values also differed between grains from unmanured (-1.0‰), PK (0.7‰) and manured (6.3‰) treatments. Thus, when compared to unmanured soil, the offset due to manure was 7.3‰ for Setaria and 5.3‰ for the two Panicum varieties. In accordance with previous studies on C3 crops, our study suggests that δ15N values in charred millet grains recovered from archaeological sites could provide a robust indicator of prehistoric manuring intensity.",

keywords = "Animal manure, Broomcorn millet, Crop yields, Foxtail millet, δ N offset",

author = "Christensen, {Bent Tolstrup} and Jensen, {Johannes Lund} and Yu Dong and Amy Bogaard",

year = "2022",

month = mar,

doi = "10.1016/j.jas.2022.105554",

language = "English",

volume = "139",

journal = "Journal of Archaeological Science",

issn = "0305-4403",

publisher = "Elsevier Inc.",

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Manure for millet: Grain δ¹⁵N values as indicators of prehistoric cropping intensity of Panicum miliaceum and Setaria italica. / Christensen, Bent Tolstrup ; Jensen, Johannes Lund; Dong, Yu et al.
In: Journal of Archaeological Science, Vol. 139, 105554, 03.2022.

Research output: Contribution to journal/Conference contribution in journal/Contribution to newspaper › Journal article › Research › peer-review

TY - JOUR

T1 - Manure for millet: Grain δ15N values as indicators of prehistoric cropping intensity of Panicum miliaceum and Setaria italica

AU - Christensen, Bent Tolstrup

AU - Jensen, Johannes Lund

AU - Dong, Yu

AU - Bogaard, Amy

PY - 2022/3

Y1 - 2022/3

N2 - Broomcorn and foxtail millet are the only major domesticated plants indigenous to prehistoric Eurasia to rely on the C4photosynthetic pathway. Here we study the impact of animal manure (AM) on broomcorn millet (Panicum miliaceum) and foxtail millet (Setaria italica), grown in the Askov Long-Term Experiment, using unmanured soil and soil dressed with phosphorus plus potassium (PK) as reference treatments. Animal manure had a marked effect on yields and on the δ15N values of grains. For broomcorn millets grown on manured soil, the average δ15N value was 5.8‰. When grown on unmanured and PK-treated soils, the δ15N values were 0.4‰ and 0.2‰, respectively. For foxtail millet the δ15N values also differed between grains from unmanured (-1.0‰), PK (0.7‰) and manured (6.3‰) treatments. Thus, when compared to unmanured soil, the offset due to manure was 7.3‰ for Setaria and 5.3‰ for the two Panicum varieties. In accordance with previous studies on C3 crops, our study suggests that δ15N values in charred millet grains recovered from archaeological sites could provide a robust indicator of prehistoric manuring intensity.

AB - Broomcorn and foxtail millet are the only major domesticated plants indigenous to prehistoric Eurasia to rely on the C4photosynthetic pathway. Here we study the impact of animal manure (AM) on broomcorn millet (Panicum miliaceum) and foxtail millet (Setaria italica), grown in the Askov Long-Term Experiment, using unmanured soil and soil dressed with phosphorus plus potassium (PK) as reference treatments. Animal manure had a marked effect on yields and on the δ15N values of grains. For broomcorn millets grown on manured soil, the average δ15N value was 5.8‰. When grown on unmanured and PK-treated soils, the δ15N values were 0.4‰ and 0.2‰, respectively. For foxtail millet the δ15N values also differed between grains from unmanured (-1.0‰), PK (0.7‰) and manured (6.3‰) treatments. Thus, when compared to unmanured soil, the offset due to manure was 7.3‰ for Setaria and 5.3‰ for the two Panicum varieties. In accordance with previous studies on C3 crops, our study suggests that δ15N values in charred millet grains recovered from archaeological sites could provide a robust indicator of prehistoric manuring intensity.

KW - Animal manure

KW - Broomcorn millet

KW - Crop yields

KW - Foxtail millet

KW - δ N offset

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DO - 10.1016/j.jas.2022.105554

M3 - Journal article

SN - 0305-4403

VL - 139

JO - Journal of Archaeological Science

JF - Journal of Archaeological Science

M1 - 105554

ER -

Manure for millet: Grain δ¹⁵N values as indicators of prehistoric cropping intensity of Panicum miliaceum and Setaria italica

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