Genetic diversity

Nibbles: Australia, China, Turkey, Slovenia, Soybeans, Grapes, Consultation

Australian breeders discover the joys of participatory breeding — for Oz farmers too.
Chinese biodiversity symposium a huge success.
Weird, and weirdly broken, GEF Small Grants Programme reports on a Turkish landrace project. Why here? Why now?
“Biodiversity: why should we care?” Slovenia’s answers.
Soybean ability to use iron affects its ability to use nitrogen. Full paper here.
Missouri grapes to save the world. Show me!
First ever Regional Consultation for the Strengthening, Conservation and Sustainable Use of Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture in the Pacific Island Countries kicked off yesterday. Where are our people on the spot?

I really hate to be a cynical old sourpuss, ((No you don’t. Ed.)) but I suspect the most interesting thing about today’s High Level Round Table on the International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture at FAO ((Which, incidentally, is on at the same time as the International Symposium on “Food and nutrition security: food-based approaches for improving diets and raising levels of nutrition.” Well, maybe it’s deliberate.)) may well be the display of Italian fruit diversity put on by the Centro di Ricerca per la Frutticoltura.

EU counts the ways it loves agricultural biodiversity. 17!
OFEC anyone? Tom (& the FT) thinks food is the new energy.
The Scientist Gardener explains maize hybrids and hybrid vigour. My question: what if the effort had gone into mass selection instead?
A 15 minute video on the Ethiopian Coffee story; thanks CAS-IP.

All hail the garden of agrobiodiversity that is the Southern Caucasus, says FAO.
Paywalled Nature paper links biodiversity with disease spread — even in agriculture. Get it here.
Roman pig yields the secrets of tasty pork — in about another 2000 years.
Nepal’s genebank goes from strength to strength.
Rare Breeds Survival Trust gets lifetime achievement award. Good to gnaw.
“It’s high time the ancestral knowledge possessed by small farmers and indigenous people was appreciated at its true value.” Climate change edition.

Online map of horticultural projects. Mash it up with the CGIAR map, anyone?
Evolution and taxonomy of crop groups: Annonaceae and Allium.
Dealing with wheat stripe in Central Asia and the Caucasus. Some good news there.
Nigel Chaffey does his usual thing. Inimitable.
Today’s thing on what Africa needs for this Greener or Double Green or whatever Revolution everyone wants it to have.
Latest from FAO on what’s happening in livestock genetic resources conservation around the world.
And the latest wonder food. I’ll pass, thanks.
Improving capers through radiation. One of those things where you have to wonder whether it’s really all worth it.
The genetic diversity of the Polish common hamster. Wait, what?
Biofortified crops to the rescue. Again. Gotta wonder about overexposure. The backlash, when it inevitably comes, is going to be a doozy.