Nibbles

Nibbles: Carrot breeding, BIEN, Protected areas databases, Brazilian genebanks, Endangered coconut genebank, DSI, ABS, Climate pix, Botanical pix double, Potatoes galore, Pandanus language, Archaeological double, Palestinian seed saving

Putting the polyacetylene back into carrots.
The Botanical Information and Ecology Network gets an upgrade. Any CWRs among its 18,844,855 more observations?
And any is protected areas? This will tell how well they’re managed. Mash up with this spatial database on indigenous lands?
Otherwise, there are genebanks, though not enough in Brazil, apparently.
And not always safe.
What to do with Digital Sequence Information? Would be nice to be clear on what it is.
ABS broken down by ISF. And the CGIAR. Not DSI though.
Need climate visuals? Well, who doesn’t.
The Columbian Exchange has visuals also.
And the Royal Horticultural Society too.
Speaking of Columbian Exchange: frites. And Vavilov, chefs, etc.
Speaking about nuts in PNG. Comment by Jim Croft, who would know: “Except the species illustrated is the widespread oceanic strand species, Pandanus tectorius, not the endemic highland crop ‘karuka’, Pandanus julianettii.”
5000-year-old brewery in Egypt.
14,000-year-old bread.
Fast forward 14,000 years.

Conserving heirloom rice in the Philippines.
A seed production company run by farmers.
Tapping toddy. With audio goodness.
Lots of goodness in Jeremy’s latest newsletter.
Australia gets serious about coconut conservation in the Pacific and beyond.
Australia’s own genebanks are very serious. Oh yes indeedy.
Will sweet potatoes get young people into farming in Kenya? If my nephews are anything to go by, the answer, alas, is no.
Maybe they should try mungbeans.
Or NERICA.
The Bing cherry didn’t help Ah Bing much though.
Whatever the crop, it’s total factor productivity that you have to watch for.
And then don’t forget to include whatever intervention you come up with in subject-wide evidence synthesis.
Prize for best title of the week: “Nordic cooperation on genetic resources – what’s the point?” Nice video.

Breeding grass while high. Probably not what you’re thinking.
When life gives you ancient lemons.
Potato Museum gets new website.
Mango gets a database.
So do France’s genebanks.
The oldest living cultivated fruit tree in North America? I think not, but interesting nevertheless.
Whiskey goes heirloom.
Excerpt from Spencer Wells’ Pandora’s Seed on the Neolithic Revolution.
Our occasional contributor Robert Hijmans sings the praises of mapping with R.

The fascinating story of konzo, nicely told.
You’ll remember my take on that, of course.
Speaking of my take, on the release of the Access to Nutrition Index I ask: cui bono genebanks?
Somebody mention genebanks? Yes, ICRISAT.
Consider the beauty of the humble potato.
Nobody ever calls coffee humble.
Wanna tell the world about any of the above?