鹿台遗址出土了丰富的炭化植物遗存,作物组合显示仰韶时期农业经济是单纯的种植粟黍的旱作农业,龙山时期农作物新品种开始出现,作物种植结构趋于多样化。基于龙山时期成熟粟类作物和不成熟粟类作物的量化分析,鹿台遗址龙山时期聚落很可能存在作物加工活动,不同阶段的加工活动可能是在聚落内不同区域,以小规模的核心家庭为基础开展。综合相关研究,豫北地区仰韶时期仍是单一的种植小米的旱作农业经济,稻作农业并未影响到这一区域,龙山时期水稻、大豆和小麦等新农作物开始出现,农业多样化逐渐显现。与此同时,豫北地区龙山时期不同遗址在农作物种植结构方面存在些许差异,这一差异很可能与遗址微观地貌、聚落和特定人群的主观选择有关。鹿台遗址炭化植物遗存研究深化了对中原地区新石器时代晚期环境、生业与社会关系的认识。

Abundant charred plant remains were unearthed from the late Neolithic Lutai site. Only foxtail millet and common millet were found, indicating of a pure millet agricultural economy during Yangshao period. New crop soybean (Glycine max) emerged in the following Longshan period and the agricultural economy became complex. Based on quantitative analysis of millets and weeds of Longshan period, the ratios of immature to mature millet grains and weeds to millets reveal that early stage crop-processing (threshing and winnowing) and possible late stage crop-processing (dehusking) were conducted by independent nuclear family in separated zones of Lutai settlement. Combined with other archaeobotanical and stable isotope studies in northern area of Henan Province, only millets were cultivated in this region during the Yangshao period. In the following period of Longshan new crops including rice, wheat and soybean were cultivated or utilized and multiple-cropping agricultural system was established in northern area of Henan Province and other areas of Henan Province alike. Besides, landforms, settlement conditions and the choices of specific population contributed to the differences in agricultural patterns among the sites in northern area of Henan Province.