Nibbles – Page 476 – Agricultural Biodiversity Weblog

August 3, 2007August 3, 2007

Where have all the bees gone?

The New Yorker has a brilliant long article on the bee shortage.

July 31, 2007July 31, 2007

Malaysia needs a genebank

The National Seed Association Malaysia want the country to build a genebank, mostly to help with breeding.

Rice research highlighted

Video, slideshow and more on IRRI’s work.

July 30, 2007July 30, 2007

Wild cotton in Florida

A little look at wild cotton in Florida, USA.

July 28, 2007July 28, 2007

Basmati rice benefits

The benefits of traditional basmati rice.

1. In the UK, Herefordshire’s Museum of Cider is picking up national recognition for its genebank of heritage apple trees. The BBC’s canonical autumnal apple story comes a little early this year.
2. Speaking of iconic apples, Kazakhstan is scaling up efforts to bring back the Aport, the giant heirloom that once made Almaty famous. No word of museums, though. Or cider.
3. Over in the Philippines, Department of Environment and Natural Resources is beefing up its rattan genebank to keep pace with demand, with forest stewards in Bukidnon planting seedlings to match. Furniture makers need genebanks as much as cider makers.
4. Sri Lanka’s pre-Green Revolution heirloom rice varieties, purana haal, are being eyed for their resilience and disease-management potential. Good thing they’re in the national genebank.
5. Saudi Arabia’s Jazan terraced coffee farms are turning into rural and ecotourism hotspots, proving not all agrobiodiversity needs to be in a genebank to survive. But it helps.
Published on August 9, 2026