Nibbles

Nibbles: Community genebank, Traditional medicine, Agarwood, Radish introgression, Kentucky bluegrass, Frison, Vavilov, Pollinators, Collecting strategy

Bamboo microscope used to document rice varieties at Indian village genebank. Want one.
And more documentation and conservation of traditional knowledge in India: this time it’s medicines.
Nigel Chaffey’s latest botanical buffet table at the Annals of Botany has stuff on nomenclature and genomes. Always worth following.
Latest on saving agarwood. And more. Thanks to twittering by @AsiaForestry.
Biofortified blogs research on geneflow between crops and their wild relatives.
Kentucky bluegrass pix. Botany Photo of the Day is also worth following. You guys all use Google Reader, right?
“Any serious discussion of biodiversity conservation must include the diversity of crops and livestock…” Right on.
Vavilov hits Abyssinia. Another one for Reader.
Pollinator trends in Europe and the world. It ain’t good.
Your botanic gardens needs at least 15 individuals of that palm.

And today’s 500 genomes are … h/t OpenHelix.
FAO uses sorghum to deliver food security in Matabeleland North.
Meanwhile … science alert: sorghum’s family tree delineated, scope for breeding from wild relatives.
Small family farms can provide lots of food and preserve tropical forest biodiversity, say researchers. Actual paper not yet available.
Wired magazine does UG99 wheat rust. Read it and weep.
And in other fungus news, Fusarium hits vanilla in Kerala.
“Ladakh’s youth … are increasingly switching from backbreaking agriculture in the harsh terrain to more profitable jobs in the booming tourism industry.” Twas ever thus.

Wanna grow plants in the Jordanian desert? Invest $250,000.
Wanna grow plants in the Maharashtra summer? Invest $20.
There’s a world saffron crocus collection. Who knew? A review is coming.
Coloured chickpeas contain more antioxidants. Well, yeah.
SciDev.net says scientists say coastal trees not much good against tsunamis, and may be bad news generally.
Rhizowen crosses species barriers, develops ficifoliaphilia, poor chap.

Royal Horticultural Society asks Welsh gardeners to “bring out their dead” (TM Cherfas).
Rubber photos.
More on breadfruit from our friend Diane Ragone.

“The Jersey Royal is the only potato that enjoys protected designation of origin…”
Agricultural research not enough?
Wild crop relative switches pollinator to escape nasty caterpillars.
Bushmeat hunters become beekeepers.
And here’s why beekeeping is such a good thing.
Diversity deemed a good thing, even for crazed monoculturists.
‘Keep biodiversity or face hunger’. Yet another Chennai Declaration.