- The genomic footprints of wild Saccharum species trace domestication, diversification, and modern breeding of sugarcane. The genome of modern sugarcane is a mosaic of wild introgressions, including one from an unknown source.
- Evolutionary histories of functional mutations during the domestication and spread of japonica rice in Asia. Selection by biotic stresses acted differently on standing variation in rice across geographic regions. Colour me surprised.
- Ancient DNA from lentils (Lens culinaris) illuminates human-plant-culture interactions in the Canary Islands. Local lentils trace back a thousand years in the Canaries.
- An olive parentage atlas: founder cultivars, regional diversification, and implications for breeding programs. Modern cultivars derive from a surprisingly small set of founding genotypes…
- Intraspecific variation and phenotypic plasticity of olive varieties in response to contrasting environmental conditions. …but cultivated olives maintain high within-species variation and plasticity, enabling adaptation across Mediterranean environments.
- Deciphering the Origins of Commercial Sweetpotato Genotypes Using International Genebank Data. One Brazilian sweetpotato traced back to a CIP accession with a different name, but others did not match anything in the genebank.
- Exploring genetic diversity and selective signatures, a journey through Colombian cassava’s landscape. Colombia’s farmers and environments have shaped its cassava diversity. No word on whether any of it traces back to the CIAT genebank.
- Novel germplasm of tepary and other Phaseolus bean wild relatives from dry areas of southwestern USA. The available genepool for bean breeding gets a welcome boost.
- Insight into root system architecture of buckwheat through genome-wide association mapping-first study. Want drought-resilient, high-yielding buckwheat varieties? Here are the genes — and genotypes — to play with. So the available genepool doesn’t need a boost?
- Non-destructive prediction of nitrogen, iron and zinc content in diverse common bean seeds from a genebank using near-infrared spectroscopy. High-throughput, non-destructive phenotyping methods capture nutritional trait variation across a bean core collection. Wild teparies unavailable for comment.
- Germplasm exploration and digital phenotyping reveal indigenous diversity and farmer preferences in pigeon pea (Cajanus cajan (L.) Millsp.) for climate-smart breeding. Not all phenotyping can be high-throughput, but that doesn’t mean it’s not useful, at least in pigeon peas.
- Agricultural landscape genomics to increase crop resilience. Could have been applied to all of the above, I guess.
Nibbles: Restoration, Monitoring, CARDI, Margot Forde, Warwick, Slow Beans 2025, Lonicera
- Africa needs good forest seeds.
- And genetic monitoring of the resulting plantings, probably.
- The Caribbean also wants quality seed, and thinks a mobile seed bank is the way to get it.
- The only mobile things about New Zealand’s genebank are its collectors.
- A very mobile donation to the UK’s vegetable genebank.
- Nothing very mobile about Slow Beans 2025, but that’s the point.
- The long journey of honeysuckle.
Nibbles: Millennium Seed Bank 25th, NPGS, Maize germplasm, Breadfruit genebank, Banana genebank
- King Charles III talks about seeds with Dr Elinor Breman of Kew’s Millennium Seed Bank and…
- …Cate Blanchett.
- Or read about it in The Economist.
- Or watch a nice video.
- The seed banks of the National Plant Germplasm System in the USA are for farmers, not just researchers.
- How to get stuff out of the NPGS.
- Laurajean Lewis: from an NPGS genebank to CIMMYT’s.
- I’m sure she and Chris Mujjabi will get to know each other soon.
- Diane Ragone: Not all genebanks are seed banks.
- Not a lot of breadfruits in Belgium but, surprisingly, lots of bananas.
Nibbles: Fiona Hay, Richard Ellis, FAO exhibition, Peasants, Wheat breeding, Svalbard, Søren Ejlersen, Ephraim Bull, Heirloom apples, Caffeine, Collards history
- Dr Fiona Hay, seed scientist, on why we need genebanks, including seed banks.
- Prof. Richard Ellis retires. A genebank legend, as Fiona would probably agree.
- FAO exhibition goes From Seeds to Foods. By way of genebanks, no doubt.
- And peasants, of course. No, it’s not a derogatory word, settle down.
- Can Green Revolution breeding approaches (and genebanks) help peasants deal with climate change?
- Even genebanks need a back-up plan though.
- New Mexico genebank helps out Danish chef.
- The history of the Concord grape and its foxiness. Chefs intrigued.
- The history of Aport and Amasya apples. No foxiness involved, as far as I know. Genebanks? Probably.
- The origin of caffeine. Now do foxiness.
- Where did collards come from anyway? No, not genebanks. Bloody historians, always re-writing history.
Brainfood: Breeding edition
- Unlocking the potential of wild rice to bring missing nutrition to elite grains. A solution for better nutrition.
- Characterization of Oryza glaberrima derived genetic resources for stagnant flooding tolerance in interspecific rice pre-breeding populations. A solution for too much water.
- Strengthening Global Rice Germplasm Sharing: Insights from the INGER Platform. A solution for getting the above solutions out to those who need them.
- Comprehensive nutritional and antinutritional characterization of pigeonpea (Cajanus cajan): Insights into genotypic diversity and protein quality. A solution for better protein.
- Exploring the agro-morphological performance of mini core collection of finger millet [Eleusine coracana (L.) Gaertn] germplasm under sodic condition. A solution for high sodium in soils.
- A Public Private Partnership in Plant Breeding — The Case of Irish Malting Barley. A solution for Irish malt.
- The business case for grasspea in Ethiopia: An action plan to provide Ethiopian farmers with a safe, nutritious and climate-smart protein source. A solution for ODAP. Which will still need to be sold, though.
- Harnessing historical genebank data to accelerate pea breeding. A solution for cold, and more.
- Genetic basis of phenotypic diversity in C. stenophylla: a stepping stone for climate-adapted coffee cultivar development. A solution for heat.
- A phylogenetic approach to prioritising crop wild relatives in Brassiceae (Brassicaceae) for breeding applications. A solution for finding solutions.