Phytoliths Analysis for the Discrimination of Foxtail Millet (Setaria italica) and Common Millet (Panicum miliaceum)
Phytoliths Analysis for the Discrimination of Foxtail Millet (Setaria italica) and Common Millet (Panicum miliaceum)
复制标题
植硅体分析用于区分谷子 (Setaria italica) 和普通小米 (Panicum miliaceum)
DOI：
10.1371/journal.pone.0004448
复制
发表时间：
2009-02-12
期刊：
影响因子：
3.7
通讯作者：
Li, Quan
中科院分区：
文献类型：
--
作者：
Lu, Houyuan;Zhang, Jianping;Li, Quan
小米（Setaria italica）和普通小米（Panicum miliaceum）是欧亚大陆最古老的驯化旱作作物。在考古植物学遗迹中识别这两种小米仍然存在问题，特别是因为小米颗粒只有在烧焦时才能保存下来。植硅体分析提供了一个可行的方法来识别这一重要作物。然而，到目前为止，谷子植硅体的鉴定一直是值得怀疑的，因为很少有人对它们的形态计量学和分类学进行研究。特别是，没有明确的诊断特征已被用来区分狐尾粟和普通粟。在这里，我们研究了解剖和硅结构模式的颖片，外稃，内稃花序苞片在27个现代植物的狐尾粟，小米，和密切相关的草，使用光学显微镜与相位差和显微干涉仪。研究结果表明，谷子与普通谷子在植硅体形态学上的5个关键鉴别特征可以作为谷子与普通谷子的鉴别依据，即前者的十字型、规则排列的乳突、Ω-波状、表皮长细胞的末端结构和表面棱线雕刻。我们已经建立了鉴定标准，当一起使用时，给出了唯一可靠的方法来区分狐尾粟和普通粟物种的植硅体特征的基础上，从而使植硅体研究的方法学贡献。我们的发现在植物分类学、农业考古学和古代文明的文化史等领域也具有重要意义。
Foxtail millet (Setaria italica) and Common millet (Panicum miliaceum) are the oldest domesticated dry farming crops in Eurasia. Identifying these two millets in the archaeobotanical remains are still problematic, especially because the millet grains preserve only when charred. Phytoliths analysis provides a viable method for identifying this important crop. However, to date, the identification of millet phytoliths has been questionable, because very little study has been done on their morphometry and taxonomy. Particularly, no clear diagnostic feature has been used to distinguish between Foxtail millet and Common millet. Here we examined the anatomy and silicon structure patterns in the glumes, lemmas, and paleas from the inflorescence bracts in 27 modern plants of Foxtail millet, Common millet, and closely related grasses, using light microscopy with phase-contrast and microscopic interferometer. Our research shows that five key diagnostic characteristics in phytolith morphology can be used to distinguish Foxtail millet from Common millet based on the presence of cross-shaped type, regularly arranged papillae, Ω-undulated type, endings structures of epidermal long cell, and surface ridgy line sculpture in the former species. We have established identification criteria that, when used together, give the only reliable way of distinguishing between Foxtail millet and Common millet species based on their phytoliths characteristics, thus making a methodological contribution to phytolith research. Our findings also have important implications in the fields of plant taxonomy, agricultural archaeology, and the culture history of ancient civilizations.