07310. SIGNIFICANT INFLUENCES OF PLANTS ON HUMANS. Brief analysis of five significant influences of plants on human affairs in the last 2500 years: traditional cereal cultures based on wheat and rice allowing traditional civilizations; spices and sugar as motives for European colonization; cotton as a stimulus to early Industrial Revolution; development of modern farming in Europe and America (corn and root crops fed to animals) allowing population growth and mass urbanization; industrial crops such as rubber and oil palm furthering industrialization. 5 pages, 8 footnotes, 2 bibliographic sources.