- A domestication assessment of the big five plant families. Half of cultivated plants are legumes, a third grasses.
- The vulnerability of US apple (Malus) genetic resources. Moderate.
- Microorganisms associated with amylolytic starters and traditional fermented alcoholic beverages of north western Himalayas in India. Veritable microbial communities.
- Spatial incongruence among hotspots and complementary areas of tree diversity in southern Africa. It’s not just about the hotspots.
- Integrating Agricultural and Ecological Goals into the Management of Species-Rich Grasslands: Learning from the Flowering Meadows Competition in France. Gotta document the synergies.
- Genetic–geographic correlation revealed across a broad European ecotypic sample of perennial ryegrass (Lolium perenne) using array-based SNP genotyping. Strong structure both with latitude and longitude. Wonder if the Flowering Meadows competition took that into account.
- Interactions of knowledge systems in shiitake mushroom production: a case study on the Noto Peninsula, Japan. Tradition is not always a totally good thing.
- Development of Core Sets of Dolichos Bean (Lablab purpureus L. Sweet) Germplasm. Heuristic is better. But is it PowerCore?
- Genetic Diversity of Local and Introduced Sweet Potato [Ipomoea batatas (L.) Lam.] Collections for Agro-morphology and Physicochemical Attributes in Ethiopia. The improved varieties are not all that great. But there were only two of them. And the local landraces were not necessarily the best.
- Study of genetic variability in Vitis vinifera L. germplasm by high-throughput Vitis18kSNP array: the case of Georgian genetic resources. Some differentiation between wild and cultivated, but significant overlap.
Brainfood: Nigerian fruit & veg, South African veggies, Veggies in home gardens, Standardizing phenotyping, Potato diversity, Triploid chamomile, Chocolate chip, Fungi & oils, Melon diversity, CC and grasslands
- Promoting food security and enhancing Nigeria’s small farmers’ income through value-added processing of lesser-known and under-utilized indigenous fruits and vegetables. It’s the infrastructure, stupid.
- The role of wild vegetables in household food security in South Africa: A review. No, it’s the information, stupid.
- Indigenous wild food plants in home gardens: improving health and income — with the assistance of agricultural extension. Nope, it’s the extension, stupid.
- Towards recommendations for metadata and data handling in plant phenotyping. It’s the standardization, stupid.
- Cytoplasmic diversity in potato breeding: case study from the International Potato Center. It’s a genetic bottleneck, stupid.
- Towards breeding of triploid chamomile (Matricaria recutita L.) — Ploidy variation within German chamomile of various origins. It’s the triploids, stupid.
- Making a chocolate chip: development and evaluation of a 6K SNP array for Theobroma cacao. Oh, very clever, now everybody and their uncle will be able to breed cacao, stupid.
- Arbuscular mycorrhiza differentially affects synthesis of essential oils in coriander and dill. It’s not just genetics, stupid.
- Comparative transcriptional profiling analysis of developing melon (Cucumis melo L.) fruit from climacteric and non-climacteric varieties. It’s the sugar metabolism, stupid.
- Climate-driven diversity loss in a grassland community. It’s the increasing aridity, stupid.
Nibbles: Savannah diversity, Omani banana, Truffle dogs, Taro & reef, Organic returns, Interspecific hybrids, Silk worm DNA, Indian diversity, American-Indian diversity, Aquaculture, Edge of Extinction, Inga key, Mexican forests, Mexican genebank, Beer, Spanish wheat, Commodities & SDGs
- Metabarcoding of poop reveals secret of large herbivore diversity in African savannahs.
- Unique Omani banana fights pests.
- Truffle dogs: “Il cane, le corna non te le mette mai…”
- Traditional taro cultivation protects Hawaiian reef.
- Organic farming pays.
- Climate change favouring offspring of interspecies hybridization. Also in crops? Like brassicas maybe?
- Domestication of silk worm probed molecularly. Is that even a word?
- Video explains Baranaja. Spoiler alert: it’s the diversity, stupid.
- And along the same lines: rare seeds go home.
- Brazil wants to be among the top 5 fish producers in the world. What could possibly go wrong.
- Extracts from Jules Pretty’s book on what we can all learn from more nature-loving societies.
- The key to Inga conservation. Is keys.
- Community-based forest management in the Yucatan: “Future generations have the right to know them.” And not just the trees, bees too.
- Since we’re in Mexico: a visit to the genebank.
- The women of beer. None of them using cassava, though, alas.
- “El mercado tiene sus normas y los científicos no las conocemos”.
- Agro-commodity traders can be good for you. Somebody mention the market?
Nibbles: Iron millet, Potato problems, Potato award, Chocolate, Cider, Nerica for Ebola, African vegetables, Collections in peril, Frida Kahlo, Diverse grasslands, Svalbard, Watermelon heirloom, Sugar, Food security, Engineered heroin, Collecting seeds, Foraging, Early modern maize, Plant protection, Guernsey seaweed
- Biofortified pearl millet has an effect!
- Bayer says the potato is a diva. But then they would, wouldn’t they.
- Potato exhibit wins award. Did someone say diva?
- Do we really need to be told that fermentation is a good thing?
- See what I mean? I’ll drink to that!
- Nerica for Ebola-hit areas. But why only?
- Cooking up some veggies in Cameroon. With some Nerica rice, no doubt.
- French national collection of carnivorous plants up for sale. Sorely tempted.
- Frida’s garden. I bet there’s some carnivorous plants in there.
- Diverse grasslands are stable grasslands.
- No, actually, The Guardian, not an overpriced deep freeze.
- The sweetest melon in the South.
- Taking the sugar out of our diets. But not watermelons, surely.
- Interview with the US Ambassador to the Rome-based UN agencies, focusing on food security.
- Home-brewed heroin: what could possibly go wrong?
- The Global Seed Conservation Challenge: but will it be done the right way?
- Rummaging around Europe’s forests.
- Is that Shakespeare or Drake holding an early introduction of maize to England?
- Using plants to protect plants.
- Vraic Day! h/t @twaihaku
Nibbles: Maps, Carrot museum, Soybean breeding, Spinach cure, Threshing machines, Ag from space, Sustainably Irish, Truffles trifle
- Gorgeous old-timey map of medicinal plants in the US.
- But maps don’t have to be full of stuff like that to be useful. And beautiful.
- Have we linked to the Carrot Museum yet?
- Perennial wild soybean from Australia good for something after all.
- Sick citrus plants told to eat their spinach.
- Thresh with style.
- Agricultural expansion in Latin America slows down.
- Irish eyes smiling on sustainability.
- Global history of truffles book review.