The Archeobotany team of the GIAP, led by researcher Alexandra Livarda, has started a new phase of experimental cereal cultivation in Greece!
The new experimental crop is located in Thermi, near Thessaloniki (Greece), at the facilities of the Hellenic Agricultural Organization -DEMETER, and follows the experimental research line developed in previous projects. It is part of the new R&D project DarkAegean, led by Livarda in collaboration with agronomers Dr. Ioannis Mylonas (Institute of Plant Breeding and Genetic Resources, IPBGR) and Elisa Ninou (International Hellenic University).
This new season of cultivation is experimenting with wheat, and in particular with free-thresing wheat.
In December 2023 the team successfully sowed 7 landraces of bread and 7 landraces of macaroni wheat from across the Aegean, as well as a commercial wheat cultivar for control. Each landrace is being cultivated under three different levels of manuring and two levels of irrigation in three replications.
The plants are being monitored and we are hoping for good weather and a successful harvest in the summer!
The harvested seeds will be eventually used to measure their 3D morphology towards the development of a new tool that will allow investigation of agriculture in the past, applying the results of the experimental grown grains to archaeological material.
The project DarkAegean. The agricultural economy of the Aegean Dark Ages through machine learning-powered 3D cereal grain morphometrics (PID2022-139907NB-I00) is funded by MCIN/AEI /10.13039/501100011033/ and by “FEDER Una manera de hacer Europa”.
Related news:
«New season of experimental cultivations!», GIAP (ICAC-CERCA), February 14, 2024.
«GIAP experimental cultivations in Greece: second year of successful harvest!», ICAC, July 30, 2022.
«Let the harvest begin! Second-year of experimental cultivations in Greece», ICAC, July 4, 2022.
«A GIAP project with experimental cultivations will create a new methodological tool for the investigation of agriculture in the past», ICAC, July 4, 2022.
«Toquem Pedra! Arqueobotànica: el que expliquen les llavors antigues». Con Alexandra Livarda, Tarragona Ràdio, May 25, 2022.
«At the Barcelona Science Fest, we cultivate knowledge with Archaeobotany!», ICAC, June 13, 2023.
