Genebanks

July 29, 2014August 11, 2014

Surviving Glenda

We have finally received news of the Philippines national genebank. Teresita Borromeo, who has worked there for some years, sent us the following email:

Yes, after 8 years, we were again devastated by the typhoon. The storage room is fortunately safe but our regeneration areas were completely damaged as well as our field gene bank. There was not much flood water as in 2006 but the winds were strong which lasted around ten hours. We had electricity just last Friday afternoon, so our freezers were first powered by generator. This again highlights the need for safety duplication within and outside the country. UPLB is greatly damaged, many trees fell down.

Seconded.

July 28, 2014July 29, 2014

Brainfood: Greek olives, Slovak grapes, Wild cotton, Livestock breeding, Urban veggies, Dismal millet, Beautiful plumage, Nutritious millet, Kiwifruit double

Genetic structure of the Greek olive germplasm revealed by RAPD, ISSR and SSR markers. Reflects usage.
Genotyping of Vitis vinifera L. within the Slovak national collection of genetic resources. Unclear whether it reflects usage.
Molecular confirmation of species status for the allopolyploid cotton species, Gossypium ekmanianum Wittmack. It has been hiding in collections as “wild” G. hirsutum, but it really isn’t.
North American animal breeding and production: meeting the needs of a changing landscape. We’ll need a better fit of genotype to production environment, better meat quality, better animal health and decreased residual feed intake; climate change will make it more difficult, but it will still be possible, especially using new genomic tools.
Urban agriculture: a global analysis of the space constraint to meet urban vegetable demand. We’re going to need bigger cities, to grow enough vegetables in them, to feed them. No, wait…
Niche Markets for Agrobiodiversity Conservation: Preference and Scale Heterogeneity Effects on Nepalese Consumers’ WTP for Finger Millet Products. That’s Willingness to Pay. And there is a bit of the population with enough of it to suggest that a price premium could translate into more acreage. And maybe more public investment.
Selection and Crossbreeding in Relation to Plumage Color Inheritance in Three Chinese Egg Type Duck Breeds (Anas platyrhynchos). Hybrids are better layers, but then you can lose the desired plumage. Here’s how to have your beautiful duck and eat it too.
Micronutrient Density and Stability in West African Pearl Millet — Potential for Biofortification. There is some, but there would be more if some Indian material was used in breeding too.
Genetic diversity in kiwifruit polyploid complexes: insights into cultivar evaluation, conservation, and utilization. Interploid crosses can increase genetic diversity. The red-fleshed cultivars are genetically distinct. Red? Really?
Natural hybridization, introgression breeding, and cultivar improvement in the genus Actinidia. We should collect new material in natural hybrid zones.

July 25, 2014

Global rice genebank just fine

Just a quick note to say that Typhoon Rammasun caused some damage at IRRI, but apparently nothing major. The genebank is ok, but the screenhouse used to keep some wild rice plants will clearly have to be repaired. I’m assured that’s going to be a high priority.

July 22, 2014July 22, 2014

Nibbles: BBC series, Pacific breadfruit & yams, Sustainable diets, Cuba atlas, MSB standards, Biofortification on radio, German food scandals, Mexican foods, Non-PC food, CWR interviews, Old Irish sources, ITPGRFA funding, Crop Trust presentations, ISHS, Neural crest and domestication, Wheat genome

That BBC mega-doc on botany just started.
PGR News from the Pacific: breadfruit and yams. My former colleagues keeping busy.
How sustainable is your diet? Here comes the data.
Cool historical atlas of Cuba has some agricultural stuff.
The Millennium Seed Bank’s Seed Conservation Standards, final draft.
Kojo Nnamdi Show on biofortification.
German sausage and beer industries hit by scandal. What the hell will Luigi survive on?
Maize beer, maybe. And amaranth.
Thankfully neither of which have objectionable names.
Nigel Maxted of University of Birmingham on crop wild relatives.
His mate and mine Ehsan Dulloo of Bioversity, on the same thing.
Ancient Irish apples, both wild and cultivated.
Seed Treaty is short of funds, but they are working on it.
The Crop Trust is on Slideshare!
Banana symposium coming up in August.
A theory of mammal domestication.
First stab at the bread wheat genome. A tour de force.

July 21, 2014July 22, 2014

Brainfood: Agricultural anthropology special edition, Breeding gourami, FGR indicators, Solanum phenomics, Organic aphids, Restoration genetics, Wild Vigna, Genebanks & genomics

Tending the Field: Special Issue on Agricultural Anthropology and Robert E. Rhoades. Agrobiodiversity conservation, participatory and collaborative research, and the politics of agricultural development.
Genetic Diversity of Siamese Gourami from Sumatra, Java and Kalimantan for Selective Breeding of Fish Culture. Yeah, but does it taste nice? Time for some fishicultural anthropology, methinks.
Global to local genetic diversity indicators of evolutionary potential in tree species within and outside forests. You can’t use indirect indicators of pressure, beneﬁt or response independently of state indicators for genetic diversity. Anyway, here’s a bunch of all of those for you to ponder.
Conventional and phenomics characterization provides insight into the diversity and relationships of hypervariable scarlet (Solanum aethiopicum L.) and gboma (S. macrocarpon L.) eggplant complexes. High-throughput phenotyping platform built for tomatoes distinguishes between really variable complexes of other solanaceous berries.
Organic vs. conventional farming dichotomy: Does it make sense for natural enemies? Yes.
Genes are not information: Rendering plant genetic resources untradeable through genetic restoration practices. Decommodify to commodify. No, really.
Prioritising in situ conservation of crop resources: A case study of African cowpea (Vigna unguiculata). 9 of 13 priority wild cowpea taxa are likely to be found in protected areas.
Genebanks and genomics: how to interconnect data from both communities? Beyond databases.