The May 2010 Diversity and Distributions is a special issue on “Conservation biogeography — foundations, concepts and challenges.” I haven’t had a chance to go through it all, but there are very interesting-looking contributions on how to improve niche model, the role of citizen science and the biogeography of climate change. More when I actually read a couple of the papers.
Nibbles: African success, Tef biotech, Hybrid rice, Livestock data, Wine grapes, Uphoff on SRI, Blog Carnival
- There are some African success stories, and a few even have to do with agriculture.
- TILLING tef.
- Some farmers’ groups in Asia don’t like hybrid rice. But some do, presumably. How come we never hear from those?
- Livestock trends deconstructed.
- The mother of all grapevine varieties found. Well, some varieties anyway.
- One of the foremost supporters of the System of Rice Intensification interviewed.
- Scientia Pro Publica, latest edition. There’s some nutrition stuff.
Mango madness
What is it with mangoes? One glorious post about the mother of all mangoes and suddenly they’re everywhere. Case in point. Visiting friends kindly brought me a jar of mango chutney. Fair enough, and much appreciated. But look closely at the label.
How many shoppers at Sainsbury are even aware that there are different varieties of mango? And do they, like me, rush to the interwebs to discover, for example, that Malda comes from around Malda in West Bengal, and that just last week there were further reports of urban development cutting into Malda mango plantations in Digha.? Search for Totapuri mango, by contrast, and you get lots of listings of people who want to sell you processed pulp. 1 I’m betting, then, that Sainsbury’s finest is mostly Totapuri with a smidgen of Malda thrown in. But I’m willing to be corrected. Not that there’s much real estate left on the label to do so.
Nibbles: Superweeds, Tree-planting, Cacao, Climate change
- Those pesky superweeds: a scientist says I told you so.
- And she’s not the only one. It’s not the process, people, its the product.
- Money grows trees. Apply now. Deadline 30 June.
- Caribbean urged to move up the cocoa value chain.
- Andy Jarvis speaks truth to power, in Spanish! h/t CIAT blog.
Lots of seeds going to Haiti
First Monsanto donates hybrid seeds to Haiti. So then the Hudson Valley Seed Library says I see that and raise you some open-pollinated varieties. What I want to know is if someone will be monitoring the results.
LATER: Maybe there wont be much to monitor after all.