- Oldest rice research facility in Western Hemisphere turns 100.
- ICRISAT DG plugs his genebank, says “India should start investing for the long-term sustainability of the farming sector particularly in dryland agriculture.”
- Seed-saving in Arkansas.
- The Archaeobotanist reviews rice domestication. And again.
- Nordics to discuss how to develop products based on local livestock breeds.
India clones the buffalo, solves the milk problem
There was a wonderfully informative article on buffalo cloning in Northern Voices Online — tag line: “Connecting Indians Globally” — a few days back. Here’s a few of the interesting tidbits that it serves up (though I haven’t yet verified the information, I should add). A buffalo has been cloned in India for the second time, this one by the name of Garima. The first survived only a few days. India is the world’s largest milk producer (15% of total global production); 55% of that is contributed by buffalo. India’s first cross-bred cow, named Jill, was produced in 1909 at the Imperial Institute of Animal Husbandry Bangalore, by crossing an Ayrshire with the local Haryana breed. And so on.
Now, in such a well-informed and data-laden article, it is surprising not to hear the other side of the story as well. Why not say something about the importance of conserving, continuing to use, and improving local breeds, while all this cross-breeding and cloning is going on? Why not mention the work of the National Bureau of Animal Genetic Resources? After all, it will be a long time before cloned elite buffaloes are contributing to that 55%.
Nibbles: Sheep size, Insect populations, Tuna, Forest regeneration, Buffalo in India
- Climate change shrinking sheep, exploding insect populations.
- Japanese boffins sequencing tuna genome, planning super-tuna. Godzilla unavailable for comment.
- Birds eat beetles which eat seeds. So no birds, no forest. Such is the wonderful web of life.
- Buffalo cloning and its future. But what is that guy in the picture doing?
Nibbles: Earthworms, Artisanal fishing, Urban Ag, Bees, Geeks
- Giant spitting earthworms need love too.
- “…local subsidies to artisanal fisheries have also proved to contribute to the disappearance of species, as in the case of Senegal.” Oh, come on, gimme a break!
- Urban Agriculture Magazine wants your contributions on “Urban Nutrient Management“. via CFtF.
- Inbred bumblebees less successful.
- What do you geek? Interesting campaign. Well, what do you geek?
Nibbles: Eels, Learning, Taro
- Norway protects eels.
- 3d interactive training materials for beekeeping and sorghum cultivation.
- More on the Hawaiian GM taro story.