Medicinal plants – Page 79 – Agricultural Biodiversity Weblog

November 28, 2011March 5, 2026

Nibbles: Q&A, Zoopharmacognosy, Pigeonpea genome, Turkey, Wheat relatives

Everyday agriculture mysteries solved.
Other animals self-medicate too.
Dueling pigeonpea genome sequencers? Who knew. Well spotted, James.
I’m thankful for turkeys.
And for the crop wild relatives in ICARDA’s genebank too.

November 25, 2011November 2, 2017

Nibbles: Taiwan seedbank, American agroforestry

Taiwan should establish a national seed bank. It says here. But will it be a genebank?
Agroforestry in the USA and in the ancient Maya lands.

November 24, 2011November 24, 2011

Nibbles: Heirloom cattle, Saleb, Wheat protein, Dog domestication, Rooibos

Why Highland Cattle? Because they look so cool, of course.
It’s sahlib time!
Australians find the extra gluten protein gene they need in Italian wheat.
Where the hell was the dog domesticated?
Rooibos tea is latest climate change victim.

November 15, 2011November 15, 2011

Nibbles: Tobacco! Maize! Andean Roots & Tubers!

Tobacco is enjoying a resurrection as a crop.
Michigan State University to research adapting maize to climate change in Zambia and Kenya.
Researchers & Restaurateurs Work to Save Peru’s Food Diversity; article and podcast. The really good news? Oca are not potatoes!

November 13, 2011November 13, 2011

Nibbles: China, Anti-malarials, Mongolia

China’s capitalists gobble up agriculture. If you can’t join ’em, beat ’em.
Making better seed of Artemisia available. And conserving its diversity?
Mongolian pastoralists embrace collective action.

1. Ancient farmers didn’t have to wait for the genetic diversity that made domestication possible. They selected from variation already present in wild plants, including the ancestors of rice and maize. Domestication was as much about spotting (or happening upon) useful differences as creating new ones.
2. English colonists in America called Indigenous dogs “wolves,” revealing as much about colonial perceptions as about the animals themselves. This history of Indigenous dogs shows how unfamiliar animals were classified through peculiarly European ideas about wildness.
3. Austria is bringing forgotten apple varieties back to life. Saving old varieties in genebanks is one thing: getting people to grow, sell and eat them is another, but it can be done. Or at least tried.
4. Jordan’s olive-oil heritage centres on traditional varieties such as Nabali and ancient Rumi trees, but most production is consumed locally, leaving exports limited and making provenance, cultivar and harvest date important indicators for buyers. Compare and contrast with Austrian apples.
5. Small island developing states have distinctive food cultures and ingredients, but face particular challenges in building sustainable and resilient food systems. FAO’s A Taste of SIDS explores the connections between island food, biodiversity and culinary heritage. Nice to see diversity within crops considered, though a few local variety names would have been nice.
Published on October 21, 2026