María Lelia Pochettino

Starch grain analysis as a microscopic diagnostic feature in the identification of plant material

The starch grain is a diagnostic feature of multiple applications according to the peculiarities and origin of the plant material to be determined. Its morphological characteristics are studied through the analysis of samples from different origin and different preservation conditions, as flours, commercial starches, drugs, spices and archaeological remains (especially carbonized material). The usefulness and importance of the methods and techniques applied in each case are also discussed.ZusammenfassungEl grano de almidon constituye un caracter de diagnóstico de variada utilidad en función de las particularidades y origen del material vegetal a determinar. Se realiza un estudio de sus características morfológicas mediante el análisis de muestras provenientes de distintos orígenes y en diferentes estados de conservatión, desde harinas y féculas hasta drogas, especias y material arqueóldgico, en particular carbonizado. Se discuten asimismo la utilidad e importancia de los métodos y técnicas utilizadas en cada caso.

Pre-Hispanic horticulture in the Paraná Delta (Argentina): archaeological and historical evidence

Abstract Many American cultivated species have been domesticated in the Neotropical Lowlands. While the southern limit of some cultivars (e.g. maize) is relatively well known for the Andean Region, the south-western limit of lowland horticulture has been poorly established in South America. Sixteenth-century European accounts mentioned the presence of cultivated plants in the Delta of the Paraná River, but until now this had not been confirmed by direct archaeobotanical data. This paper presents and discusses the results of starch grains analysis from six archaeological sites of the Paraná Delta (Argentina), ranging from 1302 to 1492 years cal. ad, which confirm the pre-Hispanic presence of cultivars in the area. Wild (algarrobo; South American mesquite) and domesticated (maize and beans) plant remains were found in ceramic containers and on grinding tools from those sites. Our research contributes new data on the late dispersion of cultivated species in the Paraná Delta, an area so far excluded from continental models for the dispersal of cultivars in the Americas.

The contribution of ethnobotany and experimental archaeology to interpretation of ancient food processing: methodological proposals based on the discussion of several case studies on Prosopis spp., Chenopodium spp. and Cucurbita spp. from Argentina

Abstract The purpose of this paper is to discuss recent methodological advances in Argentinean archaeobotany that incorporate the use of ethnobotany as an ethnoarchaeological tool for interpreting ancient food systems in South America. This is an integrative paper that takes into account both published and unpublished results. The role of ethnobotany is examined with reference to ethnobotanical and experimental food processing studies on Prosopis, a wild food plant, and two cultivated ones Chenopodium quinoa and Cucurbita spp., followed by laboratory examinations with microscopy to identify diagnostic changes in plant morphology and anatomy. Experimental materials are then compared with archaeological specimens to identify different types of ancient food processing, and to make inferences about prehistoric post-harvest systems. We demonstrated that: (a) it was critical for our food processing studies to achieve the best taxonomical identification resolution that the plant remains allow; (b) a multi-proxy approach was highly advantageous; (c) ethnobotanical data were crucial to identify food processing pathways of individual plants and combinations of them; (d) the understanding of commensality in the wider sense of the term allows us to determine food patterns both in domestic and funerary contexts. These investigations, the first ones of this type in Argentina, constitute a qualitative step in the methodology for this country because they expand our abilities to interpret the nature of routine plant processing from archaeobotanical assemblages, and they are also a substantial contribution to the development of our discipline in general because the taxa discussed in this paper are distributed throughout South America, as well as in other parts of the world.

Local Botanical Knowledge and Agrobiodiversity: Homegardens at Rural and Periurban Contexts in Argentina

Homegardens are defined as those cultivated spaces, generally of reduced extension, located in the surroundings of the house. Garden produce is mainly consumed at home, or given away to related families, but exceptionally devoted to commercialization as a supplementary resource of domestic economy (Buet et al., 2010; Pochettino, 2010, Wagner, 2002). Homegardens study constitutes a subject of increasing interest in Ethnobotany, as this approach contributes to both agrobiodiversity conservation (in particular to the infraspecific level) and to the preservation of cultural diversity: management strategies as well as species and varieties selection are not market-oriented, but they are regulated by preferences and culinary uses, linked with family traditions. So, these homegardens could be considered as real adaptative responses of local human groups arising from their own experience in the environment. This subject has been approached by diverse authors all over the world (Albuquerque et al., 2005; Blanckaert et al., 2004; Das & Das, 2005; Lamont et al., 1999; Nazarea, 1998; Vogl et al., 2002; Vogl et al., 2004; Vogl-Lukasser et al., 2002; Wagner, 2002; Watson & Eyzaguirre, 2002) even in Argentina, many of them developed by the research team of Laboratorio de Etnobotanica y Botanica Aplicada (LEBA), Facultad de Ciencias Naturales y Museo, Universidad Nacional de La Plata, Argentina (Buet et al., 2010; Del Rio et al., 2007; Lema, 2006; Maidana et al., 2005; Martinez et al., 2003; Perez et al., 2008; Pochettino et al., 2006; Pochettino, 2010; Turco et al., 2006).

Seed Conservation by Family Farmers in the Rural–Urban Fringe Area of La Plata Region, Argentina: The Dynamics of an Ancient Practice

Two key components of biocultural diversity are agrobiodiversity and knowledge. There is scarce information regarding seed conservation practices for rural–urban fringe areas, where the Green Revolution model is part of farmers’ rationality. The dynamics of such practice can be observed in La Plata’s Green Belt (Argentina). Conserved seeds and conservation criteria are recorded, in an area where 71.5% of cultivated (traditional and commercial) agrobiodiversity is conserved. With the introduction of commercial seeds, a process appears in which local wisdom comes into play to adapt to external requirements, which leads to the generation of new knowledge. The relation of this practice with the sustainability of family agroecosystems is analyzed.