- Podcast double: Georgian kitchen gardens (with pix) and Italian citrus.
- Domestication infographics are now officially a thing.
- Feeding the world with vegetable research, courtesy of AVRDC. Need to register, alas.
- Zambia biofortifies. Maybe they didn’t register for the above.
- Camels as biocultural artifacts.
- European Seed Association breaks down the tumultuous last 18 months of the European seed sector.
- “It takes more than 40 different species to make a simple lunch…”
Domestication and distribution: comparing the niches of wild, feral and cultivated tetraploid cottons
We’re trying something new for us this week. Dr Geo Coppens co-authored an interesting paper 1 recently which brings together a number of our concerns: domestication, diversity, crop wild relatives, spatial analysis… He’s written quite a long piece about his research, which we’ll publish here in three instalments, over the next few days days, starting today. Enjoy!
Niche Modelling has been increasingly coupled with genetic studies for the study of plant domestication and/or diffusion (e.g. Thomas et al., 2012, on cacao; Russell et al., 2014, on barley). However, there has been relatively little interest in the effects of domestication and cultivation on distribution. Comparing the distributions of wild and cultivated hog plums in Meso- and Central America, Miller and Knouft (2006) found that the crop’s environmental range was significantly wider than that of its wild relatives observed in the dry forests, which was suspected to result from selection and attendant adaptation under domestication.
This interpretation seems related to a combination of common ideas about species habitats, distribution modelling and the effects of human selection and diffusion on crop adaptation. Most correlative species distribution modelling has been based on the use of abiotic environmental variables, and the best documented are climatic ones. As a result, many authors think of their models in terms of climatic envelopes corresponding to the physiology and phenology of species, and remain cautious about their capacity to capture biotic effects. Therefore, it appears logical to relate the wider crop environmental range, as compared to their wild relatives, to adaptive selection under/after domestication.
Results obtained on perennial cotton from Mesoamerica and the Caribbean underline the interest of a more ecological interpretation (Coppens d’Eeckenbrugge and Lacape, 2014). Among the four independently domesticated cotton species, Gossypium hirsutum L. is by far the most widely cultivated, even in warm temperate conditions, at latitudes of up to 30°. It shares its AD allotetraploid genome with the other American domesticated cotton, G. barbadense L., native to Ecuador and Peru, and three wild species, G. darwinii Watt (Galapagos), G. mustelinum Miers ex Watt (Northeastern Brazil), and G. tomentosum Nutt. ex Seem. (Hawaii). The absence of American diploid species bearing the A genome led Hutchinson et al. (1947) to the conclusion that the A parent was an African domesticate brought by man, implying that the first allotetraploid cottons were cultivated.
On the contrary, Fryxell (1979) and Sauer (1967) recognized wild populations of G. hirsutum in Yucatán and various localities in the Caribbean. The existence of these “truly wild cottons” (TWC) was progressively substantiated by their particular seed traits (Stephens, 1965) and the isozyme study of Brubaker & Wendel (1994), indicating that the TWC populations of northern Yucatán were the likely ancestors of Mesoamerican cultivated races. More recently, molecular genetics supported Fryxell’s views, confirming that all five allotetraploid cotton species originated from a single hybridization event that took place during the Pleistocene, some 1-2 million years ago (Wendelet al. 2010). However, no systematic studies were undertaken and TWC populations were very poorly represented in subsequent studies of tetraploid cotton genetic resources. In particular, the status of TWC populations from the Caribbean was not clarified. A major practical problem was the difficulty to distinguish TWC populations from feral (secondarily wild) populations.
To be continued…
Brainfood: AnGR in Europe, Almond evaluation, Jatropha hybrids, Emmer to the rescue, Peanut genomics, Chickpea genomics, Aibika diversity, Cacao improvement, Cynodon drought tolerance
- European Gene Bank Network for Animal Genetic Resources (EUGENA). Compare and contrast with crops situation.
- Oil content, fatty acid composition and tocopherol concentration in the Spanish almond genebank collection. A couple of varieties have very high levels. But only a couple.
- Variability in almond oil chemical traits from traditional cultivars and native genetic resources from Argentina. Local cultivars are best. No word on how they relate to the above.
- Development of interspecific and intergeneric hybrids among jatropha-related species and verification of the hybrids using EST–SSR markers. Even biofuels need wild relatives.
- Evolution of wild emmer wheat and crop improvement. “…arguably best source for wheat improvement and future food production…” Largely untapped, though, as yet.
- Genomewide Association Studies for 50 Agronomic Traits in Peanut Using the ‘Reference Set’ Comprising 300 Genotypes from 48 Countries of the Semi-Arid Tropics of the World. Ok, can we start using these now, please?
- Genome wide SNP identification in chickpea for use in development of a high density genetic map and improvement of chickpea reference genome assembly. Ok, can we start using these now, please?
- Aibika (Abelmoschus manihot L.): genetic variation, morphology and relationships to micronutrient composition. DNA, morphology and chemical composition give different groupings for this PNG veg. In general, environment seems to be more important than genetics as far as micronutrients are concerned.
- Broadening the Gene Pool of Cocoa (Theobroma cacao L.) Progenies with Guiana Clones: Establishment and Precocity Traits. That would be the “…recently identified genetic groups with high resistance to black pod diseases.” Progenies with tester clones did really well in Ghana.
- Characterization of Gene Expression Associated with Drought Avoidance and Tolerance Traits in a Perennial Grass Species. 36 genes involved in drought tolerance in Bermudagrass and relative, including for stuff like cuticle wax accumulation, antioxidant defense and dehydration-protective protein accumulation.
Brainfood: Ethiopian landuse history, Linum diversity, Chinese melons, Organic cauliflower, Mexican mission citrus, Saline mungbeans, Saving the elm, Future Fusarium, Wheat biofortification, PPB and public value
- Dynamics and driving forces of agricultural landscapes in Southern Ethiopia – a case study of the Chencha and Arbaminch areas. It’s the population pressure, stupid. No word on what expansion of agriculture and decrease in holding size is doing to agricultural biodiversity. Or wild relatives, for that matter.
- The potential of pale flax as a source of useful genetic variation for cultivated flax revealed through molecular diversity and association analyses. Levels of diversity similar in wild and cultivated, but strong differentiation between the two.
- Microsatellite analysis of genetic relationships between wild and cultivated melons in Northwest and Central China. For the true wild melons, go to the NW. Others may be escapes and introgressions.
- Evaluation of cauliflower genebank accessions under organic and conventional cultivation in Southern Germany. Genotype performance differs depending on cultivation method. But if you want to breed specifically for organic conditions, here’s what to use.
- Mission and Modern Citrus Species Diversity of Baja California Peninsula Oases. Lots of unique types in the mission oases and surrounding ranches. For how long? Well, here’s the baseline. I’d like to know about the agritourism potential.
- Evaluation of mungbean genotypes for salt tolerance at early seedling growth stage. From the Indian core collection. Some good stuff found.
- Implementing the dynamic conservation of elm genetic resources in Europe: case studies and perspectives. Genebanks are not enough. But then again, nobody ever said they were.
- Future distributions of Fusarium oxysporum f. spp. in European, Middle Eastern and North African agricultural regions under climate change. Some countries are in big trouble.
- Use of wheat genetic resources to develop biofortified wheat with enhanced grain zinc and iron concentrations and desirable processing quality. CIMMYT has used a range of wild species to increase the Zn and Fe content of high-yielding, high-quality bread wheat lines.
- Expressing the public value of plant genetic resources by organising novel relationships: The contribution of selected participatory plant breeding and market-based arrangements. PPB can help smallholders manage the indirect and option value of agrobiodiversity, but it needs new types of property rights and networked governance. Whatever that is, it can take a variety of forms. All this from China, of all places.
Brainfood: Space peppers, Stunting stunting, Wild passion infusions, Welcoming millet, Georgia pears, Portuguese beef, Adaptation in Niger, Olives in Sicily & Jordan, Vigna diversity
- Isolation and detection of differential genes in hot pepper (Capsicum annuum L.) after space flight using AFLP markers. Space flight resulted in some new traits.
- Addressing chronic malnutrition through multi-sectoral, sustainable approaches: a review of the causes and consequences. Many causes, many consequences, many things that could be done. Too complicated? Here’s a ray of hope for you: “…diet diversity for children older than 6 months, measured as consumption of at least four food groups, has been found to have the strongest impact on the prevention of stunting compared to other IYCF interventions.”
- Antioxidants and sensory properties of the infusions of wild passiflora from Brazilian savannah: potential as functional beverages. Possibly better than green tea, and just as acceptable, except for P. alata, which is inexplicably bitter. Which personally makes me want to try it even more.
- Formative Research on Acceptability of Pearl Millet in Rural Eastern Kenya – A Pilot Study. A lot of families were willing to barter their maize for it.
- Genetic relationships between wild progenitor pear (Pyrus L.) species and local cultivars native to Georgia, South Caucasus. Local Georgian cultivars are close to the local wild species, which is genetically distinct in that country compared to others represented in the USDA collection.
- Traceability of 9 Portuguese cattle breeds with PDO products in the market using microsatellites. You can do it, but will there really be viable Protected Denomination of Origin products based on different Portuguese cattle breeds?
- Divergent adaptation to climate variability: A case study of pastoral and agricultural societies in Niger. What’s good for the farmer is bad for the pastoralist. ‘Twas ever thus.
- Molecular characterization of olive (Olea europaea L.) Sicilian cultivars using SSR markers. Some things with the same name were different, some things with different names were the same. Still no cure for cancer.
- Characterization of Jordanian olive cultivars (Olea europaea L.) using RAPD and ISSR molecular markers. All the 13 tested were different. No word on relationships with the Sicilian varieties. But then I’ve given up on finding that sort of collaboration.
- Detection of Genome Donor Species of Neglected Tetraploid Crop Vigna reflexo-pilosa (Créole Bean), and Genetic Structure of Diploid Species Based on Newly Developed EST-SSR Markers from Azuki Bean (Vigna angularis). “V. trinervia and one taxon of V. hirtella are the genome donors of V. reflexo-pilosa.” Never heard of any of them.