Nibbles

Nibbles: IK, Fragaria, Citrus, Millet breeding, Vitis, Agricultural biodiversity, Satellite imagery, Subsistence

Indigenous knowledge of agrobiodiversity makes the news in Indonesia.
Reconstructing the strawberry.
And reconstructing the history of cultivated citrus fruits.
ICRISAT millet breeders get an a new toy.
Plenty of diversity in the cultivated grape still. And it’s going to need it.
Biodiversity (and agrobiodiversity?) needed for farm productivity. Well I never! But more mixed results available too. What’s a poor boy to think?
SPOT 5 imagery can be used to identify crops. In Texas. But in Tanzania?
Agricultural biodiversity and subsistence traditions, Part 2. In the Ozarks. But in Omo? (And here’s Part 1.)

Rhizowen does DIY tissue culture to clean up his tubers. And fails. This time.
Farming First endorses biofortified sorghum.
Good fences make good farmers.
Is intercropping banana and coffee worthwhile in Uganda? “It depends,” sez Jeremy.

The Ethiopian Institute of Biodiversity has been up to something, but it is hard to be sure what.
IRRI is also up to something — Green super rice — but again it is hard to be sure what. Not golden at any rate.
CIAT picks its favourites from the State of the World 2011 report.
More than anyone has any right to want to know about the history and future of agricultural experimentation, but fascinating nonetheless.
The nutritive value and toxicity of grasspea and its relatives.
Milk may or may not provide some protection from malaria.
Nutrition advice, filtered for you. Jeremy sez “I like No. 6.”
Irish launch crop wild relatives website.
The feed quality of crop residues gets the treatment.

It’s always good to be able nibble a paper with “wild asses” in the title. Especially since there’s nothing else on the internet today.

Celebrating Charles Heiser and Bob Chambers.
Quinoa coming into its own in Bolivia.
Earthscan and Bioversity International team up for new Issues in Agricultural Biodiversity book series.
Crop wild relatives not just useful to breeders, eggplant edition.
Vitamin D 101 in pictures.
Improving pitaya.
Cassava production trends in Africa in 28 slides. Twenty slides too many, but it’s always good to have the data.
Beetroot’s colour deconstructed.
Worldwatch’s 2011 State of the World was released yesterday. Gives a “compelling look at the global food crisis, with particular emphasis on global innovations that can help solve a worldwide problem.” At $19.95 a pop. But supporting material available. Here comes the commentary.
The genebank at the UK’s Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council gets its 15 minutes of fame.