- NY Times does Svalbard.
- Gus Molina does agrobiodiversity.
- Dogs “continue to wither genetically.” Ouch.
- Rescuing an historical apple tree.
The ins and outs of accessing bugs
“We didn’t get the permit” to export the wasp, said Fabian Haas, head of the Biosystematics Support Unit at the Kenya-based International Center of Insect Physiology and Ecology.
He was trying to bring the wasps from Sri Lanka to Kenya to fight the fruit flies which made the same journey accidentally in 2003 and are now ravaging mangoes in Africa. Seems unfair. Maybe the CBD’s meeting in Japan in October will sort it all out. Or maybe not.
Nibbles: Heirloom veggies, Rubber, Breadfruit
- Royal Horticultural Society asks Welsh gardeners to “bring out their dead” (TM Cherfas).
- Rubber photos.
- More on breadfruit from our friend Diane Ragone.
Irradiating cherry trees in order to save them
“Cherry trees require a minimum of 8,000 hours of low temperatures over the winter to produce the optimum blossoms, but as Japan gets warmer we are falling short of that figure,” said [Dr Abe].
“And that is a problem because we Japanese love cherry blossom season.”
Dr. Abe’s team has responded to this national crisis by creating a cherry tree that blooms in all four seasons, keeping its flowers for longer, producing more blossoms and under a wider range of temperatures than any existing breeds.
How? A combination of radiation and grafting. Which means that one will now be able to wear the Human Polllination Suit all year round.
