Archaeology

Brainfood: Chia, Lentils, Bambara groundnut, Cacao, Amaranths, Rwanda, Cherimoya, Conservation, Drought, Plasticity, Phenology

And here are a trio of rhyming couplets, if you see what I mean:

The relative importance of drought and other water-related constraints for major food crops in South Asian farming systems. Drought and water constraints are widespread in South Asia. Though they contribute no more than 20-30% of current yield gaps, investment in genetic solutions needs to continue. Alas, there are significant Challenges in breeding for yield increase for drought. Nothing that can’t be overcome, though.
Rethinking species’ ability to cope with rapid climate change. It’s the plasticity, stupid.
Meta-analyses suggest strong selection on flowering phenology both in plants in general and in chickpea in particular.

“On the contrary, ‘doesn’t come true from seed’ is another way of saying ‘has lots of exciting diversity’.” Rebsie rounds up her tomatoes.
Domestication of African rice explored at the Vaviblog.
Entebbe Botanical Gardens has a genebank. That’s all I know.
Roland continues to dream of a South Sea genebank paradise; one island, one coconut variety.
“Cary Fowler explains the vital importance of crop wild relatives to address the future challenges to agriculture,” it says at the Trust website.
Let them eat bread. Foreign Affairs on food riots. h/t Rachel, who has some interesting things to say on the subject.
Fascinating behind the scenes insights into Economic Botany collections at Kew and elsewhere.

Outstanding Issues on ABS under the Multilateral System – a background study paper. Wait, there’s outstanding issues?
Wheat geeks meet.
Plastic plants will cope with climate change. Not what you think.
Nice write-up of the UK Foresight Food and Farming Futures report on Sustainable Intensification of Agriculture in Africa from Farming First.
First farmers not as productive as last foragers. One wonders why they bothered.

Biogeographic Information System Spatial Ecological Analysis of Megavertebrate Populations. Not agrobiodiversity by any stretch but stunning all the same, and a clarion call to our community to sort out Genebank Database Hell, surely.
Traditional paddies as ecosystems. Great ones, too.
Title says “seed banks susceptible to sham samples,” text says not really, and maybe it doesn’t matter much anyway. Our take from a few days ago.
China’s millet useful in Africa. Which millet? Your guess is as good as mine.
Cherimoya going seedless.
Annex 1 list of International Treaty on PGRFA to expand? Well, maybe. Whatever, wow.
Lecture materials on conservation and use of animal genetic resources.
The ancient fast foods of Greece.
Conserving heirloom apples. Nice gig if you can get it.

“Organic management practices appear to result in elevated levels of grain micronutrient concentration.” By no means the whole story.
Tom too takes The Economist to task.
Afghanistan’s opium growers. Damned if you do, damned if you don’t.
Nixtamalization for the rest of us. More than you could ever want to know. Rye tortillas!
Chocolate began with leftover beer? Seems unlikely.
Take the fight to the monster’s lair. Swap seeds in Brussels. h/t Patrick.
Dogs or dholes? Yeah I didn’t know what they were either.
There was a workshop on “Seed System and Climate Change” in Bhutan a month ago.
Big biofuel project in Tanzania bites the dust. And the land they “leased,” what happened to that?
Ancient grinding holes. Might mesquite be another edible never domesticated?