Vegetables

Nibbles: Vegetables training, Genebanks and genomics, Kew and CWR, AnGR ABS

AVRDC’s 30th International Vegetable Training Course Vegetables: From Seed to Table and Beyond.
Cameron Peace’s excellent presentation on genomics and fruit genebanks at the recent PAG symposium organized by NPGS staff Chris Richards (Ft. Collins) and Clare Coyne (Pullman).
Kew’s latest Samara newsletter does crop wild relatives.
Exploring the need for specific measures for access and benefit-sharing of animal genetic resources for food and agriculture. Results of a workshop.

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.

Vegetable seeds to combat cholera. Really.
“[O]ne person’s tomato is another one’s maintenance nightmare.” School garden backlash shock.
On the other hand “we have to imbue our children with the love of — and consumption of -— … fresh vegetables and fruits”. Lose some, win some.
Malicious pollen? Anastasia turns the tables on the contamination nuts.

Online map of horticultural projects. Mash it up with the CGIAR map, anyone?
Evolution and taxonomy of crop groups: Annonaceae and Allium.
Dealing with wheat stripe in Central Asia and the Caucasus. Some good news there.
Nigel Chaffey does his usual thing. Inimitable.
Today’s thing on what Africa needs for this Greener or Double Green or whatever Revolution everyone wants it to have.
Latest from FAO on what’s happening in livestock genetic resources conservation around the world.
And the latest wonder food. I’ll pass, thanks.
Improving capers through radiation. One of those things where you have to wonder whether it’s really all worth it.
The genetic diversity of the Polish common hamster. Wait, what?
Biofortified crops to the rescue. Again. Gotta wonder about overexposure. The backlash, when it inevitably comes, is going to be a doozy.