I paid tribute to the late great Hans Rosling in my recent post over at the work blog, but CIAT did it better. See also their very enjoyable pean to a bean explorer who is thankfully very much alive, though nearing retirement. And think about joining them.
Nibbles: Wheat rust, Coconut history, Svalbard, Cahokia, Millets, Politics, Crones & robots, Citrus history, Argan development
- Rust continues to never sleep.
- The discussion of whether there were coconuts on the Pacific coast of Panama prior to the Conquista continues on the Coconut Google Group.
- ICARDA and CIMMYT continue to love the Svalbard Global Seed Vault.
- Climate change continues to be implicated in past societal collapses.
- NPR continues to plug those millets.
- Cautionary tale of Vavilov and Lysenko continues to be told, thankfully.
- The rise and rise of the drone continues. See what I did there?
- The relentless popular culture journey of citrus continues.
- And that of argan begins.
Fasola Niepodleglosci
Couldn’t resist posting this beautiful bean, as seen on Twitter.
Received some Polish Patriotic / Independence / Eagle Beans. Supposed to carry national symbol on each bean. pic.twitter.com/SYBbuDZGel
— Alex Taylor (@airpotgardener) February 8, 2017
No sign of it on Genesys or Eurisco, but googling led to all the information one might wish for pretty easily.
In 2007, the Independence Beans had been registered by the Institute of Vegetable Genetic Research, in Skierniewice. Such research is organized to protect an existing species of cultivating plants. The Institute began cooperation with Mr. Szewczyk, to protect the genetic material of the beans, and the biggest success was in 2010, when the Independence Beans were registered in the special list of traditional and local products of the Lesser Poland regions. The research is coordinated by the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development of Poland.
Brainfood: Managing seeds, Botanical gardens, Potato genomics, Marketing Amazonian fruits, Camel diversity, Potato mineral diversity, Turkish cats, Göbekli Tepe, Kuznets curve
- SeedUSoon: A New Software Program to Improve Seed Stock Management and Plant Line Exchanges between Research Laboratories. Great name.
- Building a Global System for the conservation and use of all plant diversity. Botanical gardens learning from crop genebanks?
- Understanding potato with the help of genomics. Crop genebank learning from genomics.
- What are the socioeconomic implications of the value chain of biodiversity products? A case study in Northeastern Brazil. Two Amazonian fruits, very different markets.
- Weak Genetic Structure in Northern African Dromedary Camels Reflects Their Unique Evolutionary History. Severe bottlenecks and long-distance movement makes for quite a genetic mess.
- Genetic variation for tuber mineral concentrations in accessions of the Commonwealth Potato Collection. Is considerable, and might be useful in breeding. I’m shocked.
- The Domestic Livestock Resources of Turkey: Social Aspects, Genetic Resources and Conservation of Companion Animal Cats (Felis Catus). The nondescript cats are not in danger.
- Feasting, Social Complexity, and the Emergence of the Early Neolithic of Upper Mesopotamia: A View from Göbekli Tepe. Agriculture as a result of religious feasting. No word on the role of cats.
- Economic Development and Forest Cover: Evidence from Satellite Data. More money = more deforestation.
A moving botanic garden story
My new post over at work looks at some of the differences, and similarities, between the worlds of botanical gardens and genebanks.
The photo of the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh which accompanies a tweet about the piece, though, is a bit out of date:
Read latest Science blog by @AgroBiodiverse: "A Turn in Dr Sibbald’s Garden" https://t.co/ktNuyXLDpV pic.twitter.com/CpUca61E1t
— The Crop Trust (@CropTrust) January 30, 2017
It turns out that the hedge archway now leads to the Botanic Cottage, which had to be moved there stone by stone from the previous location of the garden in order to save it.
Now home to the @BotanicCottage! @AgroBioDiverse @SteveBlackm0re @CropTrust pic.twitter.com/BllfQRrd9C
— Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh (@TheBotanics) January 31, 2017
It now even has a Twitter account.