Vegetables

Delayed luminescence of seeds: are shining seeds viable? Maybe, but more research needed.
Explaining the spatial scale of campesino agriculture in Mexico: Implications for the supply and conservation of native maize. Maize is not just for subsistence; never has been.
Impact of Xylella fastidiosa subspecies pauca in European olives. Fancy maths says olives are doomed. But we knew that, right?
Potential and limits of exploitation of crop wild relatives for pea, lentil, and chickpea improvement. Amazingly, still more collecting is needed.
The projected timing of abrupt ecological disruption from climate change. And this is why.
The climatic association of population divergence and future extinction risk of Solanum pimpinellifolium. Its range may expand in some places, shrink in others. so it’s not like all bad news then? At least you know where to collect it from.
Early Holocene crop cultivation and landscape modification in Amazonia. REALLY early agriculture in the Llanos de Moxos. Any collecting there, I wonder?
Exploring the genetic base of the soybean germplasm from Africa, America and Asia as well as mining of beneficial allele for flowering and seed weight. The African material is not very diverse, but is very different
Novel Source of Biotic Stress Resistance Identified from Brassica Species and its Wild Relatives. From 3000 to about 10 “useful” accessions.
Horizontal gene transfer of Fhb7 from fungus underlies Fusarium head blight resistance in wheat. Thinopyrum elongatum got head blight resistance from the fungus Epichloë. GMOs unimpressed.
A Wild Cajanus scarabaeoides (L.), Thouars, IBS 3471, for Improved Insect-Resistance in Cultivated Pigeonpea. It has multiple disease resistance mechanisms against pod borer. And here it is.
A Planetary Health Perspective on Agroforestry in Sub-Saharan Africa. Trees on farms are good for you. Here come the data.
Dietary diversity and fish consumption of mothers and their children in fisher households in Komodo District, eastern Indonesia. Infants and young children are not getting enough of all the fish.
Agriculture and the Disruption of Plant–Microbial Symbiosis. Agronomy, ecology and breeding can screw up microbial symbioses in cultivated plants, and that’s not good. But it is expected.
Animal domestication in the era of ancient genomics. “By documenting how livestock populations endured both past epidemics and environmental change, ancient genomics can provide invaluable information that can be used to address current and future societal challenges.” Can.

Fresh Nibbles

Prof. KC Bansal, who used to run the Indian national genebank, gets a much-deserved UNESCO honour.
Friend-of-the-blog Dr Mike Jackson on running a rice genebank. UNESCO honour for him too?
Spain’s strawberry genebank gets its 15 minutes.
University and Native American nation collaborate on regenerating heritage corn varieties.
The pros and cons of heritage varieties, according to an American farmer.
Did the ancient Romans have heritage apples?
Beautifully written piece on the use of heritage varieties — and much else besides — in breeding hazelnuts in the US. If you only read one of these Nibbles, read this one.
Old shipwrecked rye seeds may end up in whiskey. Best place for them.
Old Serbian grapevine herbarium samples should stay right where they are.
Old horses most certainly did not stay where they were. But where was that exactly?
Not sure where old bottled fruit from Washington’s estate will end up. The DNA lab maybe, like those Serbian grapevines?
There’s going to be a Worldwide Day of Botanical Art on May 18, 2025. Rejoice.
Decolonizing food insecurity in West Africa.

Published on January 17, 2025

Category: Vegetables

Nibbles: Alert edition

Nibbles: Online courses, Colombian seeds, California grapes, Living lockdown

Nibbles: Olives, Figs, Columbian Exchange, Flour, landraces Newsletter, DOIs

Brainfood: Shiny seeds, Mexican maize, Olive plague, Pulse CWR, Climate change & biodiversity, Soybean diversity, Wild tomato, Brassica evaluation, Horizontal gene transfer, Wild Cajanus, Agroforestry benefits, Fishy diets, Symbiosis, Ancient Amazonia, Animal domestication

Nibbles: Fennel, Cicer, OPV, Monoculture, Gene editing policy, Post 2020, Polman