Category: Genebanks

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Grape genomes galore

A little over six months ago researchers reported a high quality DNA sequence for the Pinot-Noir grape. ((Not, you will note, Merlot, which would have been way too easy.)) Now comes news that the USDA is planning to do a genetic analysis of more than 2000 additional grape varieties in its collection. These will not be full sequences. Rather, researchers will be looking for SNPs, ((Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms, pronounced “snips”.)) places where the DNA sequence differs by just one letter between two individuals. These SNPs are most useful as markers that can be used to identify areas of the DNA that may harbour important traits. Breeders and researchers can use them to track the inheritance of specific traits; USDA singles out disease resistance and berry colour. And that will speed up the breeding of new grape varieties.

I know hardly anything about the world of grape breeding, but someone out there may be able to tell me: when was the most recent introduction of a newly bred variety that gained any traction within the world of wine-making? ((I’m told this type of question is called a bleg; using a blog to beg for an answer (not money).))

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Ugandan discussions about Ankole

Jeremy has already blogged about these articles, but I didn’t get around to reading them until this past weekend, and a connection between them struck me, so forgive me for linking to them again. They’re both worth reading again anyway.

The first is a piece in Wilson Quarterly entitled The Coming Revolution in Africa. It purports to be optimistic about the future of African agriculture, but in fact it ends up being a bit of a downer, even if you accept its premise. Part of that premise is that agricultural experts have got it wrong in the past, which seems fair enough, but is it really the case that

Disdainful of the market, these agricultural specialists preferred to obsess over arcane questions about soil quality, seed varieties, and some mythical ideal of crop diversity. In classic ­butt-­covering mode, they blamed “market failures” and Africa’s geography for farmer’s low incomes and their vulnerability to famine and food ­shortages.

“Some mythical ideal of crop diversity”? What is that supposed to mean? But the quote that really struck me was this one:

Then he criticizes the country’s traditional ­big-­horned Ankole cattle. These animals are beautiful and beloved but provide very little milk, he says, “no matter how hard you squeeze.” He prefers European Friesian cows. “Five of them will produce the same as 50 Ankoles,” he ­says.

The person speaking is Gilbert Bukenya, vice president of Uganda. The comment jumped out at me because I had previously been reading about the views of his boss on the same topic:

President Yoweri Museveni once imposed a ban on imported semen. Museveni belongs to the Bahima ethnic group. When he was a baby, in a sort of Bahima baptism ritual, his parents placed him on the back of an Ankole cow with a mock bow and arrow, as if to commit him symbolically to the defense of the family’s herd. Museveni, now in his 60s, still owns the descendants of that very cow, and he retains a strong bond to the Ankole breed. Two years ago, I accompanied a group of Ugandan journalists on a daylong trip to one of the president’s private ranches, where he proudly showed us his 4,000-strong herd of Ankole cattle. At one point, a reporter asked if the ranch had any Holsteins. “No, those are pollution,” Museveni replied. “These,” he said, referring to his Ankoles, “the genetic material is superior.”

This latter quote comes from a long, careful piece in the New York Times about the future of the Ankole cattle.

There must be some very interesting cabinet meetings in Kampala.

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Bye bye, Miss American (Apple) Pie?

Maybe it was the discussion about apple varieties during the 60 Minutes piece on Svalbard:

…in the 1800s in the United States people were growing 7,100 named varieties of apples. 7,100 different varieties of apples that are catalogued,” Fowler explains.

“And how many are there today?” Pelley asks.

“We’ve lost about 6,800 of those, so the extinction rate for apples varieties in the United States is about 86 percent,” he explains. 

More likely it was just the general interest in genebanks and crop diversity generated by the Svalbard phenomenon. In any case, it is great to see a mainstream publication like The Alantic Monthly waxing lyrical about apple conservation. Via The Fruit Blog.