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Using Maize δ15N values to assess soil fertility in fifteenth- and sixteenth-century ad Iroquoian agricultural fields

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  • John P Hart
  • Robert S Feranec

Abstract

Native Americans developed agronomic practices throughout the Western Hemisphere adapted to regional climate, edaphic conditions, and the extent of dependence on agriculture for subsistence. These included the mounding or “corn hill” system in northeastern North America. Iroquoian language speakers of present-day New York, USA, and Ontario and Québec, Canada were among those who used this system. While well-known, there has been little archaeological documentation of the system. As a result, there is scant archaeological evidence on how Iroquoian farmers maintained soil fertility in their often-extensive agricultural fields. Using δ15N values obtained on fifteenth- and sixteenth-century AD maize kernels from archaeological sites in New York and Ontario, adjusted to take into account changes that result from charring as determined through experiments, we demonstrate that Iroquoian farmers were successful at maintaining nitrogen in their agricultural fields. These results add to our archaeological knowledge of Iroquoian agronomic practices. Our results also indicate the potential value of obtaining δ15N values on archaeological maize in the investigation of Native American agronomic practices.

Suggested Citation

  • John P Hart & Robert S Feranec, 2020. "Using Maize δ15N values to assess soil fertility in fifteenth- and sixteenth-century ad Iroquoian agricultural fields," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 15(4), pages 1-18, April.
  • Handle: RePEc:plo:pone00:0230952
    DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0230952
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Albert E. Fulton & Catherine H. Yansa, 2019. "Native American Land-Use Impacts on a Temperate Forested Ecosystem, West Central New York State," Annals of the American Association of Geographers, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 109(6), pages 1706-1728, November.
    2. William Doolittle, 2004. "Permanent vs. shifting cultivation in the Eastern Woodlands of North America prior to European contact," Agriculture and Human Values, Springer;The Agriculture, Food, & Human Values Society (AFHVS), vol. 21(2), pages 181-189, June.
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