Further investigation into the impact of manuring on stable carbon (δ13C) and nitrogen isotope (δ15N) values in pulses: a four-year experiment examining Celtic bean (Vicia faba)

Abstract

Plant stable carbon (δ¹³C) and nitrogen (δ¹⁵N) isotope values can be used to directly investigate crop husbandry practices such as manuring; a key variable in understanding the scale and intensity of past farming practices. We present new results from a four-year experiment examining the impact of manuring on the δ¹³C and δ¹⁵N values of a heritage cultivar of the broad or faba bean (Vicia faba), the ‘Celtic black broad bean’. This paper builds upon our previous pilot study (Treasure ER, Church MJ, Gröcke DR (2016) The influence of manuring on stable isotopes (δ¹³C and δ¹⁵N) in Celtic bean (Vicia faba L.): archaeobotanical and palaeodietary implications. Archaeol Anthropol 8:555–562. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12520-015-0243-6). Our results indicate that manuring increased δ¹⁵N values in beans, with a mean value of 0.5 ± 0.4‰ in control samples compared to a mean value of 2.1 ± 1.3‰ in the most intensively manured plots. It was not always possible to distinguish between an unmanured and manured crop on the basis of δ¹⁵N values, although manured crops consistently exhibited larger variation in δ¹⁵N. Bean δ¹³C values show no clear relationship with manuring, although large variability (> 3‰) was found within crops cultivated under the same conditions. Manuring also increased plant biomass production, seed-size and the bean per plant ratio. Overall, we suggest that high δ¹⁵N values (> 1.5‰) in archaeobotanical remains of pulses can be attributed to small-scale, intensive cultivation that is typical of gardens where manuring rates are very intensive.