考古孢粉学研究最重要的方法学前提是谷物类与野生禾草类的准确鉴别。然而，迄今尚无一致的鉴别标准，因此其鉴定的准确性仍然有待论证与研究。本项目以谷物及其野生近缘种的花粉与现代表层沉积物为研究对象，深入分析花粉形态学特征、表层沉积物的孢粉组合特征；探索的科学问题是：1）不同类型的谷物及其野生近缘种的花粉是否有可行的形态学鉴别标准？2）如何利用形态特征与表层沉积物的孢粉组合等现代孢粉学信息来辅助解释农业考古孢粉数据？主要研究方法是1）利用光镜（相差、共聚焦与微分干涉）、扫描电镜和透射电镜观察花粉形态，并结合生物计量方法（Biometrics）进行形态学特征的定量分析，提取鉴别特征；2）谷物种植区的表层沉积物孢粉分析。利用所得数据来评估它们在农业考古研究的应用潜力，预期结果是考古孢粉学与第四纪孢粉学研究的基础支撑，亦对农业起源研究提供交叉学科的方法学指导。

The most important methodological prerequisite for palynoarchaeological investigations is the reliable distinction between cereal and wild grass types. There is as yet no unanimous criterion of distinguishing between wild grass and cereal pollen and identification issue remains to be clarified. The key scientific issues are 1) the diagnostic keys to pollen types of cereal and their wild relatives; 2) How recent palynology of cereals and their wild relatives aids interpretation for agricultural archaeology based on pollen morphology and production and pollen assemblages from cropland soil. The main methods are morphological investigation using LM, SEM and TEM techniques, combined with biometrics for pollen morphology; pollen analysis for surface sediments from croplands. The potential applications to agricultural archaeology are to be assessed based on the obtained data. Expected results are the basis of palynoarchaeology and Quaternary palynology, as well as the innovative contribution of interdisciplinary methodology in exploring scientific issue of origin of agriculture.