DNA – Page 57 – Agricultural Biodiversity Weblog

April 30, 2013April 29, 2013

Tracing the Polynesian migrations through DNA, but not only

I know you probably don’t have an hour to spare to listen to a lecture on the evidence for pre-Columbian contacts between Polynesians and South American cultures, but Dr Lisa Matisoo-Smith does a really good job of galloping though the DNA and archaeological evidence from humans, commensals and livestock in a recent podcast from the Bishop Museum. She even mentions crops.

The bottom line? The human anatomical and artifact evidence is compelling, but the DNA is not cooperating yet. At least the human DNA. But listen to it. While you’re preparing dinner or something. I just wish the Bishop had thought to put the slides online too.

April 29, 2013April 30, 2013

Open data, open germplasm

In opening remarks at #openagdata Vilsack mentions GRIN-Global, terms NPGS and other genebanks “keystone to international sustainable ag.”

— AgroBioDiverse (@AgroBioDiverse) April 29, 2013

And that’s not all…

Bill Gates tells #openagdata now is time for big data to solve big problems. Genomic data powers accelerated breeding. Concrete steps key.

— Trevor Nicholls (@trevornlifesci) April 29, 2013

We wait to see what those concrete steps might be. But I hope Mr Gates and Sec. Vilsack talked to each other. Or at least listened to each other’s talks. And joined up the dots.

April 29, 2013April 29, 2013

Brainfood: Gender and agrobiodiversity, Insect diversity, Contests and agrobiodiversity, Chinese rice breeding, Wheat origins, Historic abundance, History and conservation

Governance of seed and food security through participatory plant breeding: Empirical evidence and gender analysis from Syria. Women are important.
Comparison of pollinators and natural enemies: a meta-analysis of landscape and local effects on abundance and richness in crops. Both can be managed at the same time.
Biodiversity and recipe contests: Innovative socioecological approaches to capture ecological knowledge and conserve biodiversity in Arunachal Pradesh. Women are important.
Rice breeding in the post-genomics era: from concept to practice. China is where it’s at.
SNPing Aegilops tauschii genetic diversity and the birthplace of bread wheat. Caspian Iran is where it’s at.
Inferring recent historic abundance from current genetic diversity. It might actually be possible to infer historic abundance from the genetics of contemporary samples only, which seems kinda awesome.
Europe’s other debt crisis caused by the long legacy of future extinctions. The current conservation status of vascular plants in Europe reflects the situation in 1900. Can’t help thinking this should be mashed up with the one above.
Low genetic diversity and significant structuring in the endangered Mentha cervina populations and its implications for conservation. Low only at population level, so must conserve multiple populations. Which one would probably have done anyway, but now at least we know which.

Nibbles: Alcohol, Cannabis, Pollination tool, EU seed law, Fruit cloning

I need a drink.
Or maybe some Viking ganja.
I know I don’t need a VegiBee. But maybe you do.
I guess we all need to write to the EU about the new seed law.
Nobody needs another discussion of whether cloning is good or bad.

April 22, 2013April 18, 2013

Brainfood: Viruses, Allium genomic size, Acacia adaptation, Local carp, Chinese onions, Bull genetic info, Ecosystem services, Sahelian ag

New threats to endangered Cook’s scurvy grass (Lepidium oleraceum; Brassicaceae): introduced crop viruses and the extent of their spread. Introduced crop virus threatens endemic.
Role of adaptive and non-adaptive mechanisms forming complex patterns of genome size variation in six cytotypes of polyploid Allium oleraceum (Amaryllidaceae) on a continental scale. It’s not the environment.
Evolution and ecology meet molecular genetics: adaptive phenotypic plasticity in two isolated Negev desert populations of Acacia raddiana at either end of a rainfall gradient. It’s the environment.
Using biodiversity to valorise local food products: the case of fish ponds in a cultural landscape, their biodiversity, and carp production. It could work, if only people liked to eat carp and knew what biodiversity was.
Phenotype and genetic diversity in potato onion cultivars from three provinces of northeast China. In other news, there’s something called a potato onion. Otherwise, this is actually a deeply boring paper.
The value of genetic information to livestock buyers: a combined revealed, stated preference approach. Low to none, for now.
Ecosystem Services. Latest issue includes a bunch of interesting reviews, and an editorial summarizing each in like a paragraph. Great service, great value. See what I did there?
Scientific documentation of crop land changes in the Sahel: A half empty box of knowledge to support policy? There is no data, not really.

1. Three Sisters rematriated to historical Cherokee Nation.
2. Native grains returning to Indigenous land in Australia too.
3. May need to bring back agricultural practices too, like in Peru.
4. Meanwhile, in India, farmers are trying to grow apples in new places. Go figure.
5. Anyway, seems like the IFOAM Seeds Platform might be able to help.
6. And genebanks too of course, like the Millennium Seed Bank.
7. As part of a comprehensive conservation systems, goes without saying, like in China.
8. Which also include climate-proof protected areas.
9. It worked for soybeans, after all.
10. Well, for now anyway…
Published on June 17, 2025