Nibbles

Nibbles: Biofuels, Avocado, Seed systems, Himalaya, Umbria

Corn and ethanol, sitting in a tree … it’s complicated.
More than anyone — except us — could ever want to know about the avocado. h/t Nicola.
FAO prescribes seed systems for small farmers. h/t CIAT blog.
Slides about agricultural biodiversity in the Himalaya; wish I knew what to make of it, if anything.
Umbria says “COLTIVIAMO LA BIODIVERSITÀ“.

Test question (no prizes): What’s the link between avocados and orchids?

Picture guide to West African plants. Includes agrobiodiversity!
Iowa State Agronomy podcasts. Some cool stuff. Check out the one on “Modeling Seed Germination Over Time to Decide When to Regenerate Seed Lots in Long-term Storage.”
A “formal global program to develop subnational agricultural land-use statistics“? Riiiiight.
GFAR meeting on sustainable use of agrobiodiversity says “[w]e need to initiate solid and inclusive actions to build concerted and practical actions on sustainable use.” Well they do say actions speak louder than words.
Researcher “trying to remove the perception that hackneys are ‘half-crazed.'” I’d rather pay to save them if they were crazy, but that’s me.
Romaine: germplasm to breeding lines. But to cultivars? Private sector to pick up the slack.
Crops not mentioned among species that save our lives.
Saving sacred groves in Ethiopia. By building pit latrines. Well why not?
Brazil nut spread by people.
A trade-off between species and genetic diversity? Say it
ain’t so!
Today’s iconic species threatened by climate change is the baobab.
An Egyptian archaeobotanical blog.
Botanic gardens can threaten biodiversity.
Nature has (or had, it’s a couple months old) a supplement on nutrigenomics.

Nigel Chaffey’s roundup of botanical news is out.
Learn how to grow truffles. For Canadians.
ILRI policy brief on how agriculture and human health are connected. Bottom line: it’s complicated.
AVRDC introduces you to Mali’s Magnificent Cube.
Biofortified on pepper breeding.
Calestous Juma in the New Agriculturist on why he’s optimistic about African agriculture.

Buckwheat yields boosted by diversity in nearby forests.
Date (press) with the past, in Qatar.
Sustainable Intensification: Increasing Productivity in African Food and Agricultural Systems. A bit steep at GBP65 for 30 papers; we’ll be reading and sharing what we find.
Apples, endangered? Well, yes.
What’s so good about geographical indications anyway?

A multimedia extravaganza

UN Special Representative explains what the UN is up to on nutrition, and why. Video.
Disease-free seed yams. Audio.