Nibbles

Nibbles: Sorghum research, Alternative millet, IRRI genebank genomics, Cattle genomes, CIAT genebank, Rainforest genebank, Saving seeds, Millet in India, Varied diets, Cheese rind microbes, Fermentation, Artisanal hooch, Truffle oil, Coconut water, Fancy carrots, Edible insects, Farming tuna, Saving cetaceans, Fancy tomato database

What must be done about sorghum in Africa, by someone who should know because they worked at ICRISAT, which has a sorghum genebank.
ICRISAT also has pearl millet genebanks — in India and Africa. So when did pearl millet become “alternative” in India? Well, at least it’s not on this list of “indigenous foods.”
3000 rice genomes (from the IRRI genebank), and 1000 bull genomes. Brave new world.
The CIAT genebank makes the news, and not a genome in sight.
An in situ forest genebank deep in the heart of Sabah.
And you can bet they’re all saving seeds the right way. But there’s always a webinar if not. Or this.
Micronutrients? It’s the food system, stupid. Yes, indeedy. And there’s even a webinar about it.
The fascinating microbial system of cheese rinds.
Sauerkraut has a pretty fascinating microbial system too, I bet.
Artisanal whiskey is a thing? Isn’t it, basically, moonshine?
Truffle oil is a scam. Damn.
Coconut water tries not to seem a scam.
Heifer Farm shows off its weird carrots. Yeah, they’re more than just about livestock at Heifer.
Though that doesn’t include insects, I don’t think. Yes, insects.
Or bluefin tuna. Or the vaquita. But enough of that.
Plenty of weird tomatoes on this great wiki I came across.

Lethal Yellowing doing for coconuts — and livelihoods — in Mozambique. And typhoons in the Philippines.
Potted history of maize hybrids from 1998.
Unusual rice and tomato species sequenced.
The challenges of measuring the impact of nutrition interventions.
Old interview with Michael Pollan on biodiversity and health resurfaces, maybe to coincide with the above.
What will be the nutrition impact of replacing matooke with cassava, I wonder? Maybe if it was yellow cassava it would be ok?
Maybe Shamba Shapeup will tell us.
Well, there’s always wine. Even in Ethiopia.
Or insects. Or roiboos. If you’re in South Africa.
Chinese dumplings responsible for climate change.
New Scoop.it page on downy mildews.
And new Flipboard section on quinoa. And something to add to it.
Eid Mubarak! Celebrate with mango kunafa.
But which variety?

Asian genes in European pigs are a good thing.
How about American pigs though?
Great Spanish language cacao infographic. And more along the same lines.
Innovative apple family farming in the Tyrol.
Not sure that will be much use in terms of global food security, as per this recent review, but you never know. Because, you know, climate change?
Well, there’s always wild food. Though in some places more than others.
Student videos on the origin of food plants.
But did any of them change their lives?
Oxfam thinks teff can change lives.
Different part of same continent, different grain to revitalize.
Different continent, different grains to revitalize.
Bah, who needs cereals when you have indigenous vegetables?
Wait, what? Seedless mangoes? Why is this not first-page news?

Need soil info? There’s an app for that!
Like pH, for instance?
Photographing Egypt’s farms.
Frozen Samoan taro, anyone? Only the beginning…
Also from Samoa, a landmark breadfruit deal.
Alas, breadfruit is not one of the tree fruits included in the website Tree Fruit Genome Database Resources (tfGDR). Maybe they should get together with DivSeek? Or the guy growing 40 different fruits on one tree.
Soybean genetic modification 101, with video goodness.
While both Jeremy and I are otherwise engaged, blogging in general and Nibbling in particular might be a bit slow, but you can keep up with us on Twitter. If you dare.

That BBC mega-doc on botany just started.
PGR News from the Pacific: breadfruit and yams. My former colleagues keeping busy.
How sustainable is your diet? Here comes the data.
Cool historical atlas of Cuba has some agricultural stuff.
The Millennium Seed Bank’s Seed Conservation Standards, final draft.
Kojo Nnamdi Show on biofortification.
German sausage and beer industries hit by scandal. What the hell will Luigi survive on?
Maize beer, maybe. And amaranth.
Thankfully neither of which have objectionable names.
Nigel Maxted of University of Birmingham on crop wild relatives.
His mate and mine Ehsan Dulloo of Bioversity, on the same thing.
Ancient Irish apples, both wild and cultivated.
Seed Treaty is short of funds, but they are working on it.
The Crop Trust is on Slideshare!
Banana symposium coming up in August.
A theory of mammal domestication.
First stab at the bread wheat genome. A tour de force.