Category: Featured

In reference to the organic meta-analysis, Matthew asks:

What about crop genetics?? I read the actual Nature piece and no mention of seed or breeding.
Organic vs Conventional studies are often flawed in that they ignore that most organic farmers are using seed bred for conventional systems … The first axiom of breeding is to breed in area of intended use, and organic environments are quite different than conventional. Research from Washington State University shows evidence that when organic farmers used wheat seed that had been selected in organic systems for multiple generations there is as much as 20% increase in wheat yields, compared to when they plant conventional seed.

I think this is the research referred to.

Marleen Cobben gives more details on her fascinating model:

The results from our model suggest that the spatial process of range shifting under climate change can have a big impact on the genetic composition of new populations. This is because the individuals arriving first in a new climatically suitable natural area, have a competitive advantage (in numbers) over individuals arriving later. So even if these latter individuals are better adapted to the local conditions, adaptation of the population takes a while because there’s initially so little to select for. No news thus far I’d say. The problem is, that this ‘while’ is fairly long compared to the predicted rate of temperature increase.

And there’s a lot more, all of it interesting. Have a look.

Robert takes a certain delight in adding his voice to the chorus questioning the Southern Leaf Blight metanarrative:

Isn’t it remarkable that this is the only (well-known?) incident of this nature in recent history? And that it only was an incident that cannot even be detected on the yield charts? Are the levels of diversity that we are maintaining in the fields perhaps sufficient?

What’s next for the chopping block? Potato blight and the Irish famine?

A diverse pedigree is no guarantee of diversity, but don’t just take my word for it. Mike Jackson leaps from the starting gate to agree.

Some of my colleagues at IRRI in the early 90s used to argue that by combining lots of different alleles into rice varieties, and disseminating them through INGER, diversity was being increased. What was the diversity of a crop of IR64, I asked for example, grown across millions of hectares? Since all plants were (assumed to be) identical, zero diversity between plants. Could never get them to understand that aspect.

C’mon breeders; let’s be hearing from you.

Jeff Marck on why there hasn’t been so much about Ghana’s new breadfruits in the press there (and more):

We didn’t actually make any press releases in Ghana as we wanted to to keep it all a little quiet so as to avoid night watchman costs, etc. Field planting begins in the first week of April. Hoorah! The first new variety breadfruit to reach West Africa since the 1840s.

Ooops, sorry.