- “The Access to Seeds Index measures the performance of the leading companies in the seed industry independently, which will result in the publication of a ranking every two years.” Will need to keep an eye on this. As no doubt also will the CGIAR…
- …which met in Lisbon to discuss the Generation Challenge Programme and presented on NUS at Tropentag, having moved on from the Science Forum in Bonn, which had a lot on nutrition. No doubt some of them will be in Lillehammer to discuss plant genetic resources and climate change. How do they keep on top of it all?
- And when they are not meeting, they are surveying the use of Gnetum, sampling goats, and making videos about their genebanks among many other worthwhile things…
- Speaking of the IRRI genebank, Mike Jackson’s obituary of his friend Dr Joe Smartt, “geneticist and renowned grain legume expert,” is online at GRACE, but behind a paywall. Fortunately, you can get a condensed version on Mike’s blog.
- Legumes, I hear you say? “Two big mysteries in soybeans have captured my attention.” And I’m sure that sentence captured yours. Corn+Soybean Digest reveals all.
- Time for dessert. I see your 300-variety mango of Malihabad and I raise you a 250-variety apple of Chidham.
- But lest we forget why we’re doing all this meeting and goat-sampling and fruit-grafting, here comes FAO’s latest report on food insecurity.
I would have liked to make the Smartt obituary open access – I’m afraid I couldn’t pay USD3,000 publication fee!
It’s yours in the form you submitted it to the journal. You are completely free to make a PDF of the Word file (or whatever) available, if you want. Heck, we’ll even host it here for you.
That’s an interesting point you make Jeremy. Yes, I have the word file, etc. But in order to publish this obituary behind the pay-wall (because I couldn’t afford the outrageous Springer fee) I had to assign the copyright to Springer. Open Access is only ‘so open’.
So, are you on sound IPR grounds re. the Word file I have? Comments anyone?
Mysteries in soybeans
The Fiskeby variety is explained in http://www.soyinfocenter.com/HSS/europe5.php
It was bred by Sven A. Holmberg from 1940 onwards from samples collected by him in Hokkaido in Japan (43 degrees North) for Fiskeby in Sweden (58 degrees 30 minutes North). Holmberg also got the first day-length neutral variety.
Why should we worry about global warming when a single breeder can adapt a variety to grow half a world away and 1500 km further north than its comfort zone?
In 1913 the UK exported 3,250 tonnes home grown soy oil.