Neglected species

June 29, 2011July 1, 2011

Crops for the Future at a crossroads?

I’m conscious of not really having done justice to the recent announcement of considerable Malaysian government funding for a Crops for the Future Research Centre (CFFRC) near Kuala Lumpur.

First of all, I neglected to congratulate the University of Nottingham on securing the money for the Centre. And I didn’t mention that the announcement came at a conference on Crops for the Future – Beyond Food Security organized by the University of Nottingham Malaysia Campus in collaboration with the International Society for Horticultural Science (ISHS) and with support from the ISHS Working Group on Underutilised Plant Genetic Resources, the ISHS Commission on Plant Genetic Resources and the ISHS Section on Tropical and Sub-Tropical Fruits.

But I suppose the main thing I should have discussed is the relationship between this new Crops for the Future Research Centre and Crops for the Future the international organization. Because it is not entirely clear to me that the two are necessarily synonymous, or even overlapping. ((Physically, the two sets of offices are half a hour’s drive from each other. Oh, but they will have people on each other’s boards.)) Will the Centre be like the little worm-like creature that bursts out of John Hurt’s chest and grows and grows and takes over the Nostromo?

June 27, 2011June 29, 2011

Malaysia funds underutilized crops research centre

The Crops for the Future Research Centre (CFFRC) is expected to receive a funding of nearly RM113 million (US$40 million) over seven years from the government to carry out research on a whole range of under-utilised crops.

Wow. Well done Crops for the Future. And well done Malaysia.

June 27, 2011June 23, 2011

Brainfood: Benin diversity, Catalan diversity, Serbian sorghum, Flowering in barley and sunflower, Potato nutritional quality, Cacao genebank management, Potato genebank management, Caribbean cattle, Venezuelan CWR, Ecogeographic surveys, Refugia, Vegetation change, Fisheries, Botanic gardens, Crop diversity patterns, Old trees

Diversity, geographical, and consumption patterns of traditional vegetables in sociolinguistic communities in Benin: Implications for domestication and utilization. 245 species, from 62 families, 80% wild-harvested.
Landraces in situ conservation: A case study in high-mountain home gardens in Vall Fosca, Catalan Pyrenees, Iberian Peninsula. 39 landraces of 31 species, disappearing fast.
Origin, history, morphology, production, improvement, and utilization of broomcorn [Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench] in Serbia. Summarizes 60 years of experience.
The timing of flowering in barley and sunflower dissected. In the former, variation in photoperiod sensitivity occurred both pre- and post-domestication. In the latter, variation is clinal.
Cultivated and wild Solanum species as potential sources for health-promoting quality traits. Some of the latter are pretty good.
Microsatellite fingerprinting in the International Cocoa Genebank, Trinidad: accession and plot homogeneity information for germplasm management. A quarter of plots were mixtures. Well that’s no good. Huge amount of stuff in this issue of PGR-CU.
Construction of an integrated microsatellite and key morphological characteristic database of potato varieties on the EU common catalogue. So that the above doesn’t happen.
Footprints of selection in the ancestral admixture of a New World Creole cattle breed. Lots of African and zebu blood in Guadeloupe cattle.
Inventory of related wild species of priority crops in Venezuela. Basically a big list.
Potential of herbarium records to sequence phenological pattern: a case study of Aconitum heterophyllum in the Himalaya. Could be used to flesh out the above kind of thing.
Refugia: identifying and understanding safe havens for biodiversity under climate change. How to spot refugia past and future, which would be useful for the above-but-one kind of thing.
Modelling biome shifts and tree cover change for 2050 in West Africa. Climate change leads to greening, human impact to browning.
Comparison of modern and historical fish catches (AD 750–1400) to inform goals for marine protected areas and sustainable fisheries. Along the Kenyan coast. Amazingly, comparisons are possible, and they show a deterioration in quality and quantity.
The biodiversity benefits of botanic gardens. They are there, despite their history with invasives, but gardens need to get their act together. Which they are doing.
Domesticated crop richness in human subsistence cultivation systems: a test of macroecological and economic determinants. Number of crop species grown depends on latitude, habitat heterogeneity and commitment to agriculture (as opposed to foraging, herding and exchange). Can’t make up my mind if this is interesting or predictable. Maybe it is both. Would be great to apply same method to infraspecific diversity too.
The age of monumental olive trees (Olea europaea) in northeastern Spain. Maybe over 600 years.

June 27, 2011June 27, 2011

Nibbles: Beautiful models, Beautiful bank, Organic FAO, Eskimo diet, Indian medicinals, Maya nut studentship, Fishy infographics

Official confirmation of the need for better crop growth models.
More on CIP’s high-tech spud bank. In other news, CIP also has banks of other Andean roots/tubers, but don’t get me started on that one.
“FAO has relegated organic agriculture to a footnote in the discussion of food security in the long run.” Fighting talk. Wonder if that will change with the new DG.
Cook like an Inuit.
Cultivating medicinal plants in India. Let’s see how that goes.
Wanna study the Maya nut?
More great Guardian infographics, aquatic edition.
“This one tastes like cotton candy.” Breeding strawberries the hard way.

June 24, 2011November 29, 2017

Nibbles: Adaptation, Soil bacteria, AnGR, Edible flowers, Potato chips, Ancient beer

July issue of CSA News, official magazine for members of the American Society of Agronomy, Crop Science Society of America and Soil Science Society of America, has article on “Crop Adaptation to Climate Change” based on official CSSA position statement, “Crop Adaptation to Climate Change.”
Factsheet on bacterial diversity and why it’s good for soils.
FAO guidelines for the In Vivo Conservation of Animal Genetic Resources discussed in Europe.
Please eat the daisies. Or other flowers.
Farming chips.
Never thought I’d get bored of reading about ancient beer.