Speaking of different approaches to breeding, one of the speakers at last year’s tri-societies meeting in Long Beach, California, sent me a link to the session on Participatory Plant Breeding for Food Security and Conservation of Agrobiodiversity. 1 This is very cool technology; given a reasonable internet connection you can hear the talks — and watch the slides, if you’re so minded — of six of the speakers. I listened to the first talk, by Cal Qualset, and the quality is excellent. I must try to find time for the others over the next few days.
Nibbles: Oranges, Pigs, Roundup, Agave
- The Human Flower Project uses Christmas oranges to teach about diversity and traditional knowledge.
- The New York Times discovered the hairy Hungarian Mangalitsa pig … so it must be real.
- SciDev.net’s highs and lows of 2010.
- “The genetic resources from landraces ignored by the tequila industry may be valuable for both ethanol production and conservation.” Uh-huh. h/t Jacob.
2010’s big hits
The Guardian lists “Conservation stories of 2010“. There are a few plants in there, but not much you can get your teeth into. Well, some endangered bushmeat, obviously, but who can afford that?
Cosmos, on the other hand, prefers Ten Biodiversity Hotspots to mark the end of this International Year of Biodiversity. Same old same old: Agriculture features only as the enemy.
This could get tedious …
Nibbles: Carnival, Strawberries, Wheat, Malawi, Books
- Berry-go-Round No. 35 is up (and has been for weeks) with Christmas tree goodness and The Vegetable Orchestra.
- Today’s overinflated genome claim is for strawberries.
- Wheat (breeders) can weather climate change, say scientists.
- “Is Malawi’s ‘green revolution’ a model for Africa?” asks BBC News. “Maybe, maybe not,” answers Luigi.
- Grist’s millers recommend books about food and agriculture.
Nibbles: Yemen, Seed moisture, Irish fruits, Indian genetic erosion, Goji, Sustainable Ag, Green Revolution,
- Probably way more than you want to know about food security in Yemen, but stunning nonetheless.
- NordGen tells us how to measure seed moisture content. In Russian.
- The Irish have benefited from at least one bank. Alas, that bank is Pavlovsk.
- Indian farmers turning their back on traditional crops because of climate change. Hope NBPGR is on the case.
- Goji berries only as good as other fruit and veg, with “significant placebo effect”.
- [W]e are in the midst of shaping a new perspective on sustainable agriculture, it says here. Right.
- All you ever wanted to know about Green Revolution 2.0, thanks to Anastasia.
- Speaking of which .. sustainable ag under discussion.