Development of New World Crops by Indigenous Americans

Advanced agricultural and horticultural systems are a feature of Pre-Columbian civilizations of the New World. In fact, practically all of the crops that originated in the New World were domesticated before European incursions.  Thus, the New World crops currently grown in Europe, Asia, and Africa must be considered as a contribution of indigenous cultures to humanity. The history of these indigenous crops can be found in the written post-Columbian record of explorers, correspondents, travelers, and botanists. It can also be traced in the iconographic record derived from illustrated manuscripts, herbals, paintings, and sculpture.  This information is particularly useful for such fields as taxonomy, genetics, crop domestication, crop evolution, and genetic diversity. Major New World crops to be reviewed include grains and pseudograins (maize, amaranth, and quinoa), legumes (common bean, Lima beans, peanut),  cucurbits (pumpkins, squash, and chayote),  solanaceous fruits (tomato, pepino, capsicum peppers); starchy roots and tubers (sweet potato, potato, and cassava), fruit and nuts (pineapple,  papaya, strawberry, and blueberry, cactus pear, cashew),  beverage crops (cacao and mate),  ornamentals (dahlia, fuchsia, and sunflower), and industrial crops (Hevea rubber and cotton).