水稻驯化与长江文明

水稻(即亚洲栽培稻Oryza sativa)是世界上最重要的粮食作物之一, 全球有超过半数以上人口以稻米为食。关于水稻是何时、何地、在什么环境下开始驯化等问题一直是学术界关注的热点。得益于分析技术的进步, 近年来考古学和遗传学研究在水稻驯化起源问题上取得了重要进展。本文简要综述了有关长江流域的水稻驯化起源的遗传学和考古学的研究进展, 并讨论了水稻驯化与稻作文化及长江文明的关系。遗传学研究结果认为水稻(粳稻)最早起源于中国长江流域及以南地区(珠江流域), 考古学证据则表明水稻最先于10,000-8,000 BP在中国长江流域被驯化, 水稻驯化和稻作农业的发展催生了长江文明。这些进展促进了我们对水稻驯化、稻作文化和长江文明的认识, 对长江流域重要植物资源的保护也有启示意义。

Rice domestication and the Yangtze River civilization

Rice (Oryza sativa) is one of the most important crops in the world and serves as a staple food source for more than half of the world’s population. Research into when, where, and how rice was initially cultivated and eventually domesticated is essential. Research on these questions has been greatly advanced recently, along with nearly continuous research in both genetics and archaeology using newly developed analytical techniques. Here, we review the scientific understanding of rice domestication in the Yangtze River valley from both an archaeological and genetic perspective, and discuss the relationship between rice domestication and the Yangtze River civilization. Recent genetic research suggests that domesticated rice (O. sativa ssp. japonica) first occurred in southern China, including the Yangtze River valley and the Pearl River Basin. Current findings from archaeology support the view that O. sativa ssp. japonica was firstly domesticated in the Yangtze River valley ca.10,000-8,000 BP, and rice cultivation and agricultural development triggered the Yangtze River civilization. These findings enhance our understanding of rice domestication and related cultivation culture and also have implications for conservation of plant resources in the Yangtze River valley.