Category: Featured

Cary agrees on the need for caution in seed provision after disasters, and has some recommendations of his own.

In good times or bad, seed introductions by outside agencies must be done with care. There may be reason for genebanks to be more involved in the future in some cases (supplying materials if actually lost and still desired). Stronger connections between relief/development agencies and genebanks and other professionals (who might be able to GIS and other data to ascertain appropriateness of varietal candidates for introduction) would certainly be a good thing.

Paul Mitchell, of the haskap Canada website, clarifies:

Here is a link to the University of Saskatchewan’s fruit science program: http://www.fruit.usask.ca/haskap.html.

It was both Dr. Bob Bors from the U of S and Maxine Thompson from the University of Oregon who made the breeding advancements that led to the interest in these curious plants.

There actually was virtual international conference late last fall. It was held solely for researchers. Most of the material attendees were from Eastern Europe and Russia. I know that Dr. Bors had some involvement but I have not seen anything published as of yet.

That’s why we love the internet.

Martin Mbui has responded again, with great practical information about Trees in Kenya:

I have seedlings of avocado (grafted with hass variety) passion ( yellow passion grafted with purple passion), mango (Kent, Tommy, vdyke and apple mango) pawpaw etc. Anybody willing to plant contact me via cell No. 0720242913 or through my email address martinmbui@yahoo.com.

Go ahead, plant ’em.

Brian Ford-Lloyd is moved swiftly to action by Slow Food:

Hold on! Whoever thought those involved in food production could undertake effective conservation of genetic diversity? Slow food enthusiasts are not the only ones to discard the ‘not-so-good’ – the whole of domestication must have been based on it. Hunter gatherers rejected the more spiny/hairy/thick seed coated/bitter tasting/alkoloid containing in favour of those plants with less of those no-so-good features. Plant breeders have traditionally done the same, but who said plant breeders made the best conservationists?

Leaving aside the alkaloids, obviously, one would have to agree. Agriculture grows by selection, and selection requires rejection. But where does Slow Food fit into all this?

Glenn thinks we ought to formalise the social network needs of breeders, genebank managers et al.

Does this type of discussion occur naturally? Or do we need something to motivate it? … Maybe we should do something about it?

We could write up a project and find somebody to fund it. Maybe it would be a risky project — social networking for crop improvement (genetic resources use) … But would it be any riskier than the current database hell projects?

Good point, well made. Off you go.