Impact of agriculture on an oasis landscape during the late Holocene: Palynological evidence from the Xintala site in Xinjiang, NW China

Pollen and charred seeds from the Xintala site within the Yanqi Oasis of Xinjiang in Northwest China were investigated to understand the impact of early agriculture on an oasis landscapes. The data show the original vegetation was meadow steppe dominated by Asteraceae and Poaceae. Wheat-growing agriculture reshaped the landscape by destroying the original vegetation and expanding the farmland area in ca. 3900–3600 cal BP. The high percentage of Typha pollen is likely to have resulted from selective harvesting of cattail for domestic uses. Persistent and probably over-irrigation may have led to an increase in soil salinity as evidenced by dramatic increases in Chenopodiaceae and Nitraria pollen percentages. The land salinization possibly resulted in the weakening of agricultural activity and later the abandonment of farmland after ca. 3600 cal BP at the Xintala site.