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.
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.
Nibbles: Bees, IFPRI, Undernutrition policy, Haiti earthquake, Yeast
- Latest news on the bee front ain’t good. Except on Isle of Man.
- IFPRI accused of being industry shills. But where’s the evidence?
- Commentary on Hilary Clinton’s undernutrition speech.
- Monsanto did not donate GMO seed to Haiti. But it was hybrids, so basically a one-off. Better than nothing? Adding insult to injury? I dunno, you decide.
- So apparently we have the unstable margins of chromosomes to thank for beer. I’ll drink to that.
Featured: Wellesbourne cliffhanger
Andrew has a question for the U. of Warwick, and will be writing a strongly worded letter to Britain’s new Prime Minister if he doesn’t get the right answer:
Is the Genetic Resources Unit to be rehoused under the Department of Life Sciences in a new state of the art facility to increase storage capacity to meet the increasing demand to ex situ conserved plant genetic resources (crops, landraces, wild crop relatives) or are seeds and germplasm to be dumped in the department’s basement with little care for its socio-economic and money making value with the addition to jobs being axed in a research area, which struggles to find adequate funding?