That’s Violet, my sister-in-law. She’s harvesting weedy indigenous leafy greens from her (and my) mother-in-law’s farm at Gataka, near Limuru in Kenya. And talking to me about these interesting species at the same time. She’s mainly picking “terere” (Amaranthus hybridus), though she mentions “togotia” (Erucastrum arabicum) towards the end. Also “kahorora,” or pumpkin leaves, though of course that’s not a weedy species. Thanks, Violet.
Nibbles: Kiss apple, Cryptic variation, Brewing yeast history, Sandalwood genebank, Large chile, Red dye, Grassland, Fish eco-labeling, Radiation
- Koreans breed bite-sized apple for breath-freshening. Why can’t I find a picture?
- Climate change bad for genetic diversity too. Tell that to taro in Cameroon.
- Lager yeast came from South America. Thank you, Argentina! And more on long-distance microbe movement.
- Field Gene Bank of Threatened Plants from the Western Ghats threatened.
- Man’s 16-inch chili may be a record. Get your mind out of the gutter.
- The source of Turkish Red.
- “The proper use of native grasslands is to use them as grasslands…”
- Something fishy about eco-labeling.
- Japanese boffins trying to breed radiation-tolerant rice. Maybe they should look at this map in their search for parents for their crossing programme.
Brainfood: Two organic wheats, No-till wheat, Mexican maize, High-value maize, Beer
- Collaborative Plant Breeding for Organic Agricultural Systems in Developed Countries. Neither researcher-led nor farmer-led but truly collaborative.
- Structuring an Efficient Organic Wheat Breeding Program. Don’t use data from conventional breeding to select your lines.
- Adaptability of Wheat Cultivars to a Late-Planted No-Till Fallow Production System. don’t use varieties selected for current regimes.
- Assessing the vulnerability of traditional maize seed systems in Mexico to climate change. Not too bad, except maybe in the highlands.
- High-Value Agricultural Products and Poverty Reduction: Smallholder Farmer Access to Maize Markets. There are obstacles to selling sweetcorn, baby corn and green corn.
- Dietary Diversity and Nutritional Status of Pre-School Children from Musa-Dependent Households in Gitega (Burundi) and Butembo (Democratic Republic of Congo). Status is bad, and diets are not diverse, but there is no statistically significant association between the two.
- Free iron in pale, dark and alcohol-free commercial lager beers. My preferred beer is better for me.
Nibbles: Patents, Scientific American Blogs, Leek turnovers
- India to patent tribal medicinal knowledge. Community biodiversity register of medicinal plants, apparently with scientific backup.
- Scientific American Blogs devote the day to food — which includes agriculture.
- Language Log investigates leek turnovers. And you thought we were OCD?
Nibbles: Pests & Diseases, Nutrition Actions, Famine, GM Maize, Breeding, More breeding, India’s monsoon, Vegetable undernutrition
- Need a new pest or disease? Here’s the latest list from CAB Abstracts.
- WHO’s e-Library of Evidence for Nutrition Actions. No food, as such, that I could see.
- Is “famine” partly the result of a fixation on maize?
- Nah, course not. At least, I think not … “Drought persuades Kenya to import GM maize“.
- CIAT and partners toast new BREAD project. (FX: Groan.) It’s about breeding cassava and banana.
- Plant Breeders Without Borders. Read more here. Could do with a snappier title, I reckon.
- India’s long-range weather forecast looks bad.
- Modern vegetables are less nutritious.