Agricultural Biodiversity Weblog

July 2, 2026July 2, 2026

A brief history of gap analysis for crop diversity conservation

Many thanks to long-time friend-of-the-blog Dr Colin Khoury for this latest contribution.

Conservation gap analysis using Geographic Information System (GIS) tools relies on several sources of biological and environmental data, including in situ species occurrences and climatic and other environmental variables used to conduct species distribution modeling, as well as passport data from ex situ collections. While species distribution modeling and associated methods had been in development since at least the 1970s (see Rebelo, 1994 and Booth et al., 2013), the widespread use of these tools was not possible until such biological and environmental data were more easily and widely accessible, for example through GBIF, WorldClim, and Genesys.

Genebank scientists, often in collaboration with academic researchers, began to apply available GIS-based tools to PGRFA conservation around the turn of the century, proceeding to develop new methods, software, and datasets (for early examples, see Guarino, 1995; Greene and Guarino, 1999; Guarino et al., 2002). Global climate datasets were compiled at relatively high spatial resolution (e.g., Hijmans et al., 2005), providing key inputs for species distribution modeling. Current distribution models for plant genetic resources began to be calculated, for example for wild relatives of potatoes and peanuts, while future distributions under climate change also began to be modeled, for example for wild peanuts, potatoes, and cowpeas. Field collecting was informed through these tools, for example for wild clover and wild chile pepper expeditions.

The focus on wild relatives of food and agricultural crops was not haphazard. These species were receiving increasing conservation attention at the time in recognition of their value as genetic resources for crop breeding, and because many wild relatives were known to be threatened in their natural habitats and were underrepresented in ex situ repositories. International conservation targets for crop wild relatives had been set at the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) (for 2011 to 2020 and again for 2020 to 2030) and in the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) (for 2015 to 2030). At the same time, species distribution modeling methods had primarily been developed for wild species, i.e. taxa whose distributions are mainly driven by climatic, edaphic, and other environmental factors, rather than human preferences (which are more difficult to model), therefore the application of these methods to crop wild relatives was relatively straightforward and a logical starting point for the agricultural research community.

Programs such as DIVA-GIS and FloraMap were created to make the methods more accessible to researchers and practitioners without extensive GIS experience and computing power. Such efforts continue, for example by CAPFITOGEN.

Through an international genebank initiative called the Global Public Goods Project II, run from 2007-2010, the distributions of the wild relatives of ten CGIAR mandate crops were mapped, with priorities for further collecting for ex situ conservation identified. A major milestone of that project was the publication of a standardized, replicable gap analysis methodology for the ex situ conservation of crop wild relatives, which made use of herbarium and other biodiversity observations acquired through GBIF and other sources, as well as genebank passport data, and which embraced recent advancements in species distribution modeling methods.

Continue reading “A brief history of gap analysis for crop diversity conservation”

July 1, 2026July 1, 2026

Playing around with wild potatoes

Journey through 1946’s South America to find and collect wild potato plants, which might hold the key to defeat the blight affecting British crops.

Choose your route, solve puzzles, and learn more about the world of potato biodiversity. But be careful not to run out of resources or you’ll have to cut your expedition short!

That’s all the introduction you get to a new online game from Abertay University and the James Hutton Institute, but it’s clearly inspired by Jack Hawkes’ famous potato collecting expeditions to South America. The resulting Empire Potato Collection, now called the Commonwealth Potato Collection, is still maintained at the Hutton. Our friend Mike Jackson has blogged very comprehensively about it, and also about his own efforts following in the footsteps of Prof. Hawkes.

Let’s see what Mike thinks about the game. I found it a little tricky to get into, though mildly entertaining once I did. But I never collected wild potatoes.

June 29, 2026

Brainfood: Animal genetic resources

Beyond the binary: Queer inclusion and invisible labour in Samoa’s fisheries value chains. Fisheries in Samoa depend on significant but largely unrecognized labour by LGBTQ+ people, particularly fa’afafine and fa’afatama, whose contributions are overlooked by policies based on rigid gender categories.
Genetic and morphological diversity of indigenous chicken of Kenya: A Review. Kenya’s indigenous chickens are adapted to diverse environments, resilient to disease, and important for rural livelihoods.
Uncovering the lives of rock doves (Columba livia) in Late Bronze Age Hala Sultan Tekke, Cyprus. Rock doves lived alongside people in a major Late Bronze Age port city, revealing a more complex relationship than simple domestication in which doves exploited urban environments while providing food and other resources.
Farmed Escapees Threaten MHC Diversity in Wild Atlantic Salmon. Escaped farmed Atlantic salmon can erode the diversity of major histocompatibility complex (MHC) genes in wild populations through interbreeding, which could reduce the long-term resilience and adaptability of wild salmon.
Creation of intermuscular bone-free genetic mutants in grass carp and multiomics reveals molecular regulatory basis. Genome editing was used to produce grass carp lacking the numerous fine intermuscular bones that reduce consumer appeal, opening new possibilities for breeding more marketable fish while deepening understanding of skeletal biology.

June 23, 2026June 24, 2026

Ube careful what you wish for

You know a crop has arrived when The Economist does a piece on it. Ube (Dioscorea alata), the purple yam long cherished in the Philippines, is indeed suddenly everywhere, and the newspaper for the global elite is all over it. From Starbucks drinks in Britain to specialty bakeries in Europe and North America, it has become the latest social-media-friendly food trend. Some commentators are already calling it “the new matcha.” Global demand is rising rapidly, and Filipino farmers are struggling to keep up.

This looks like the kind of success story we often hope for as agricultural biodiversity advocates: a neglected or underutilized crop finally finding big markets. Researchers are developing improved varieties, governments are increasing investment in research and development, and scientists are working on better propagation methods to overcome shortages of planting material. Some farmer groups have reportedly seen orders jump from hundreds of kilograms to tens of tonnes. What’s not to like?

Well, before we celebrate too loudly, it is worth remembering that similar “opportunity crops” have started on this road before. It can be a bumpy one.

The first challenge is biological. Ube is not an industrial commodity. It is seasonal, labor-intensive, relatively slow to mature, and constrained by shortages of high-quality planting material. Current efforts to develop improved varieties and rapid propagation techniques are responses to real bottlenecks, not merely opportunities.

The second problem is economic. Today’s enthusiasm is driven partly by novelty and social media visibility. Food history is littered with once-fashionable ingredients that enjoyed a brief boom before consumers moved on to the next trend. If ube is indeed the new matcha, what happens when the next matcha arrives?

Finally, there are legitimate concerns about diversity itself. Commercial success often narrows the genetic base of a crop as supply chains converge on a small number of elite varieties. Ironically, a boom can threaten the very diversity that made a crop valuable in the first place.

None of this means we should resist ube’s moment. On the contrary, it presents a rare opportunity to reward farmers, strengthen local value chains, and invest in conservation and breeding. But history suggests that the goal should not be to maximize production for a transient craze. It should be to use today’s demand to build a resilient and diverse ube sector that can survive after the craze fades.

Don’t just feed the boom. Try to avoid the bust. More tomato, less quinoa, you could say.

June 22, 2026

Papas bravas

Among the gems Jeremy has included in his latest Eat This Newsletter are an essay on the potato in Belarus and a visual guide to the peppers of the world. Very tasty.