Fruits and nuts

Nibbles: Vegetables training, Genebanks and genomics, Kew and CWR, AnGR ABS

AVRDC’s 30th International Vegetable Training Course Vegetables: From Seed to Table and Beyond.
Cameron Peace’s excellent presentation on genomics and fruit genebanks at the recent PAG symposium organized by NPGS staff Chris Richards (Ft. Collins) and Clare Coyne (Pullman).
Kew’s latest Samara newsletter does crop wild relatives.
Exploring the need for specific measures for access and benefit-sharing of animal genetic resources for food and agriculture. Results of a workshop.

I don’t know about you, but I’m surprised when, on the same day mind you, the Costa Rica News has a piece about a new citrus genebank at CATIE and Balkans.com an article about the genetic relationship between Turkish and Hungarian apricot cultivars. Pleasantly surprised.

When dog was on the menu.
Going far, and far back, for beer. And indeed yeast. Always worth the effort.
BBC launches Human Planet, focusing on “man’s remarkable relationship with the natural world.” Which apparently doesn’t include agriculture.
Mexicans eat many moth species, and not just the larvae.
Amazing interactive food atlas for the US. wish I had a use for it, but someone surely does.
Breeding a “better” Jalapeño pepper — to hold more cheese, natcho.
Food as politics; the tsampa-eaters of the TAR. h/t GOOD.

Celebrating Charles Heiser and Bob Chambers.
Quinoa coming into its own in Bolivia.
Earthscan and Bioversity International team up for new Issues in Agricultural Biodiversity book series.
Crop wild relatives not just useful to breeders, eggplant edition.
Vitamin D 101 in pictures.
Improving pitaya.
Cassava production trends in Africa in 28 slides. Twenty slides too many, but it’s always good to have the data.
Beetroot’s colour deconstructed.
Worldwatch’s 2011 State of the World was released yesterday. Gives a “compelling look at the global food crisis, with particular emphasis on global innovations that can help solve a worldwide problem.” At $19.95 a pop. But supporting material available. Here comes the commentary.
The genebank at the UK’s Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council gets its 15 minutes of fame.