Funding

Nibbles: Mike Jackson blog, Philippines genebank fire, Ancient garden, USA maps, Horse domestication, Gnats, Livestock training, Chocolate, Epigenetics, Indian nutritional security, Kew fund, GM bananas, Reconciling databases

Mike Jackson gets himself a pulpit. Welcome to the blogosphere, Mike!
More on the Filipino ex-genebank.
What they grew in an ancient Israelite garden. Can they really tell Citrus species apart from their pollen?
More American maps to mashup with obesity and food insecurity: land use, renewable energy sources…. I do hope someone is keeping track. Even of the more esoteric stuff, of course, like the names of softdrinks.
Yet more on horse domestication.
Another organic farming externality for your consideration. Thanks, Robert.
ILRI gets innovative on this whole training thing.
“The future of chocolate” revealed.
Boffins look at fossil bison epigenetics to investigate adaptation to climate change. What will they think of next. Well, applying it to chickens, for a start.
Other boffins move potato anti-nematode genes into bananas. No word on the epigenetics of it all.
Indian report on how to strengthen role of agriculture in nutrition.
Kew has money for fieldwork.
Cleaning messy taxonomic data. Useful in Genebank Database Hell?

My favorite agriculture blogs. Can you say “parochial”?
Want to track Geographical Indicators? Look no further.
India’s agriculture magazine tackles Agro-Biodiversity For Food Security.
And GFAR promotes a new initiative to realise the benefits of agrobiodiversity. Love is all around.
National Plant Genetics Resources Laboratory (NPGRL) at the University of the Philippines at Los Baños checks in to rehab.
Bioversity scientist plays with fire, for better and more diverse forest regeneration.
Mutation breeding; Matt explains the lack of breakthroughs in a bit more detail.
Fabulous, complex story of spiders, flies and microbes. Add ’em together for green flypaper.

Big new project on farm animal genomics. Gene-jockeys lick lips.
Big new push to raise money for the Moringa Fund. Agroforesters lick lips.
Big new hardiness zone map unleashed by USDA on unsuspecting world. American GIS people and gardeners lick lips.
Bill Gates mentions cassava. CIAT licks lips.

More evidence of India’s fascination with little-known indigenous
cattle breeds.
Forbes reviews Borlaug bio.
FAO Forestry has a nifty new mobile app. No idea why.
VI International Symposium on Brassicas and XVIII Crucifer Genetics Workshop looking for sponsors. Any ideas?
Prof Pat Heslop-Harrison is today’s “Face of Plant Cell Biology“.
Of course it is a daft idea to claim rights over the word “agave”. But will anyone listen?
Blimey! A penguin is like a lime juice.

Meet my two best friends, Jack and Daniel.
How to design sustainable intensification projects.
All about the Aussie PGR “system.” What’s that you say? They need another genebank?
I just know you want to go to the Global Conference on Women in Agriculture.
If that doesn’t grab you, perhaps Denver Botanic Garden’s series of booktalks will. Tea & sushi, anyone?
New FAO DG pushes all right buttons except for agrobiodiversity. Which is left for others at FAO to push.