- “[D]iversity in domestic dogs derives from a small genetic tool kit.” Really, really small. Like, 50 genes.
- ILRI says we need to maintain indigenous farm animal diversity in Asia. They eat dogs, don’t they?
- You say pomato, I say totato: “Tomato-potato cross benefits farmers.” Fine, but it’s a graft. So why call it a cross?
- Non timber forest products important “in times of crisis” shock.
- Sumerian beer non-alcoholic? Not even beer, but “fermented cereal beverage“.
- Then again, ancient Peruvians discovered popcorn. But not movies.
- IRRI wants a student to re-examine optimal drying conditions for rice.
- The Svalbard Global Seed Vault– is it important for plant genetic resources? Answers here, next week.
Brainfood: Conservation policy, Grasspea breeding, Modeling rice diseases, Maize roots, Literature on new oil crops, Native vs non-native trees in Indonesian city parks, Cherimoya maps, Darwin Core, Seed dispersal and conservation, Oxalis variation, Polyploidy and variation, Pollinators, Microsymbionts, Plant migration, Culture and agriculture
As ever, we have added most of these references to our public group on Mendeley, for ease of finding. “Most?” we hear you say. “What gives?” Well, Mendeley and some academic publishers still don’t play nicely. There’s nothing to stop you adding the paper in question by hand, if you’re so inclined, but we don’t really have the time. And if you do, please do it right.
- Why are some biodiversity policies implemented and others ignored? Lessons from the uptake of the Global Strategy for Plant Conservation by botanic gardens. Because there are no feedback mechanisms?
- Genetic improvement of grass pea (Lathyrus sativus) in Ethiopia: an unfulfilled promise. Conventional breeding for low ODAP hasn’t worked, so forget about solving that problem through conventional breeding, and move on to other problems, or use genetic transformation.
- Modeling and mapping potential epidemics of rice diseases globally. It is not particularly well done, but one is surprised to see it done at all. NiM ((Not in Mendeley.))
- Morphological and physiological characteristics of corn (Zea mays L.) roots from cultivars with different yield potentials. More roots means more yield. Among some modern varieties anyway. Under some conditions. NiM
- Trends in literature on new oilseed crops and related species: Seeking evidence of increasing or waning interest. And finding it, alas. Sort of. NiM
- The green colonial heritage: Woody plants in parks of Bandung, Indonesia. Native species used to be used more, and should be used more again. NiM
- Mapping Genetic Diversity of Cherimoya (Annona cherimola Mill.): Application of Spatial Analysis for Conservation and Use of Plant Genetic Resources. Cool maps of microsat hotspots.
- Darwin Core: An Evolving Community-Developed Biodiversity Data Standard. The way out of Genebank Database Hell? Well, maybe the match that will light the torch that will show the way out.
- Seed dispersal in changing landscapes. Fragmentation, harvesting, invasions and climate change affect seed dispersal in ways that need to be understood by conservationists. NiM. And the BBC’s more verbose take on it.
- Distribution models and a dated phylogeny for Chilean Oxalis species reveal occupation of new habitats by different lineages, not rapid adaptive radiation. Title says it all, really. It’s not that a single lineage exploded as new habitats became available. Old lineages were pre-adapted to the new habitats. ((Finding the actual paper online could be really, really hard.))
- Extensive chromosomal variation in a recently formed natural allopolyploid species, Tragopogon miscellus (Asteraceae). Polyploidy leads to all hell breaking lose in the genome for generations.
- Overplaying the role of honey bees as pollinators: A comment on Aebi and Neumann (2011). It’s the wild bees, hoverflies and other native pollinators, stupid! But still.
- Arbuscular Mycorrhizas Reduce Nitrogen Loss via Leaching. 40 times less, no less.
- Distributional migrations, expansions, and contractions of tropical plant species as revealed in dated herbarium records. Eppur si muovono. And more on the paper. And more on herbarium digitization in general. what can I tell you, I’ve got apophenia.
- Ecological and socio-cultural factors influencing in situ conservation of crop diversity by traditional Andean households in Peru. There are influences; and why wouldn’t there be?
Nibbles: FIGS, Wassailing, Rice breeding, Mobile apps, GI, Coffee, Art, Symposium
- Probably way more than you ever need to know about FIGS. In one handy PowerPoint.
- The British love affair with the apple comes to a head. And goes over the top.
- 100 years of the Paddy Breeding Station. No, nothing to do with the Irish.
- Another damn app competition.
- Geographical Indications in Brazilian law deconstructed.
- Not too late for a cappuccino. But make mine a civet cat shit one.
- More rewriting of Amazon pre-history.
- Marianne North, botanical artist, in the Amazon and elsewhere, remembered.
- Starting now FAO Symposium: applying information on food and nutrition security to better decision making. There’s even a hashtag — #isfsi2012 — but nobody seems to be using it.
Contacting Trevor Williams
We have received a request from Roger Croston to post the following on the blog, and are happy to do so. Trevor Williams was the first director of the International Board for Plant Genetic Resources (now Bioversity International), and another significant figure in the early days of the PGR conservation movement.
After searching for many years I am now back in contact with Trevor
Williams — best known to many as “JT”.
He is now back in England at his Stockport address for those who have
it. I would also be more than happy to forward messages to him on
anyone’s behalf. Please give me your postal address and ‘phone numbers
so that he can reply. JT is currently not on email. He is most keen to
hear from friends and colleagues. (He had been in intensive care in
hospital with breathing difficulties but he is now home and is gradually
improving, I am pleased to say).
Email: rogerc “at” croston-engineering “dot” co “dot” uk
Erna Bennett papers
Thanks to Helmut Knüpffer of IPK Gatersleben, for his comment pointing to two important papers relating to Erna Bennett.
- Erna Bennett: Her Career and Convictions and An Interview with Erna Bennett by IS Cunningham provides an insight into some aspects of her personality and drive. (Diversity 5(2 & 3), 60-63, 1989. As with the Ceres article reprinted by The Ecologist, if you do download and skim through the whole issue, you might, like me, wonder what on Earth we’ve all been doing for the past 40 years.)
- Award of Meyer Memorial Medal to Erna Bennett of FAO, including Presentation by Dr. Ralph W. Phillips, Miss Erna Bennett’s Acceptance, and Statement by Dr. A. H. Boerma. 1971. (J. Heredity 62(5), 277-279. That one’s behind a paywall, although I reckon snagging the photo above constitutes fair use.)
Helmut also wrote: “I just went to the Mansfeld Library. There are 2292 reprints in the “Reprint Collection Erna Bennett” sorted alphabetically by author and then numbered 1-2292.” Good to know.
And a couple of other links. Grain, the NGO, published its own tribute. Grain’s archives contain a piercing essay from Erna on The Summit-to-Summit Merry-go-Round, which should be on the reading list of everyone with an interest in agricultural biodiversity and the context surrounding its conservation and use.