“禾下麦”“麦下禾豆”复种说辨析

AReexamination of"Hexiamai"and"Maixiahedou"as Sequential Cropping

东汉郑众《周礼》注中的“禾下麦”“麦下禾豆”被学界普遍释为获禾后复种冬小麦,收麦后复种禾豆,不少学者据此认为东汉出现了二年三熟轮作复种,然而此种观点不惟与古农书的记载相矛盾,且在文理、字义上皆有室碍。本文指出“禾下麦”中的“禾”与“麦下禾豆”中的“麦”并非粮食作物,而是绿肥,“禾下麦”“麦下禾豆”也不是粮食作物的复种。不过,“禾下麦”为粮食作物复种制的发展积累了技术与经验,在农业史上具有重要意义,而播种禾、麦作为绿肥的技术标志着从利用天然杂草到栽培绿肥作物的转变,在肥料发展史上也属于重大进步。

Hexiamai 禾下麦 and maixiahedou 麦下禾豆 in Zhouli 周礼 noted by Zheng Zhong(Eastern Han Dynasty)are commonly interpreted as the sequential cropping of winter wheat after millet and the sequential cropping of millet or bean after winter wheat.Majority of scholars also claimed that the rotative and sequential cropping system of three crops in two years has been exploited since the Eastern Han Dynasty by quoting Zheng Zhong's notes.However,the above argument is not only inconsistent with the records of the ancient agricultural books,but also incoherent with the legitimacy of the original text as well as the meaning of the words.The reexamination found that millet of hexiamai and wheat of maixiahedou are not food crops,but green manure.Moreover,hexiamai and maixiahedou are not referred to as sequential cropping of food crops.However,hexiamai has accumulated the techniques and experience of sequential cropping of food crops,which is of great significance of the history of agriculture.Furthermore,the technology of planting millet and wheat as green manure marks an important transition from the use of natural weeds to the cultivation of green manure crops,leading to a great progress of the history of fertilizer development.