Agricultural Biodiversity Weblog

March 10, 2020March 10, 2020

Panic in the air

Wide variety within the #Panicum collection held at #FutureSeeds, the new #genebank of the @BiovIntCIAT_eng. We are testing these materials (130 out of 400+) under several projects and programs #Red_de_Forrajes @SomosAGROSAVIA @Livestock_CGIAR #Grasstocash @giz_gmbh pic.twitter.com/WCRhuLvoVX

— Juan Andres Cardoso (@grass_scientist) March 10, 2020

500-odd accessions in the genebank in Cali, Colombia, according to Genesys, but alas only about 20 geo-referenced. Nice drone shot, though.

March 9, 2020March 11, 2020

Brainfood: Squash diversity, Cryo, Wild wheat, Maize evolution, Yak genome, Flagships, Nutrient production, Bhutanese quinoa, USDA Sweetpotato, European GIAHS, Pulses, Apulian onions

Phylogeographic and population genetic analyses of Cucurbita moschata reveal divergence of two mitochondrial lineages linked to an elevational gradient. And nuclear genes show there’s a distinct population in Yucatan.
Advances in cryopreservation of in vitro-derived propagules: technologies and explant sources. Beyond shoot tips.
Characterization of two leaf rust-resistant Aegilops tauschii accessions for the synthetic wheat development. Hyper-resistant, no less.
The Genomic Basis for Short-Term Evolution of Environmental Adaptation in Maize. Adaptation of the phenology of tropical types to temperate conditions can happen quickly. So bring in those exotics, they’ll cope soon enough.
The sequence and de novo assembly of the wild yak genome. Let the intensive yak production systems proliferate.
Conservation prioritization can resolve the flagship species conundrum. Focusing on 500-odd charismatic mammals, birds and reptiles can account for 80-90% of the species that can be covered in an optimization not constrained by such flagships. But how many CWR? Or, looking at it from the other side, what if CWR were the flagships? Yeah, right, right?
Spatiotemporal trends in adequacy of dietary nutrient production and food sources. Global production can provide everyone with all nutrients except vitamin A, but 120 countries are not self-sufficient. Another way we’re all interdependent. But at least we have trade. Right?
First adaptation of quinoa in the Bhutanese mountain agriculture systems. Someone mention interdependence?
Phenotypic Variation in Leaf Morphology of the USDA, ARS Sweetpotato (Ipomoea batatas) Germplasm Collection. Everything is Normal.
Characterization of Globally Important Agricultural Heritage Systems (GIAHS) in Europe. They’re ok but there could be more.
Evaluation of pulse crops’ functional diversity supporting food production. Three groups of pulses: producers (biomass and seeds), competitors (against weeds) and fixers (N).
Assessment of Genetic Diversity of the “Acquaviva Red Onion” (Allium cepa L.) Apulian Landrace. It’s a well-defined variety that is noticeably sweeter than others.

March 2, 2020February 21, 2020

Brainfood: Cropland map, Wild spinach collecting, CC double, Cacao diversity, Oilpalm footprint, Algal genebanks, Potatoes & gas, S African livestock, Silk Road cereals, Pests & CC

Global synergy cropland map. Yes, another one.
Acquisition and regeneration of Spinacia turkestanica Iljin and S. tetrandra Steven ex M. Bieb. to improve a spinach gene bank collection. CGN plugs some gaps.
Recent responses to climate change reveal the drivers of species extinction and survival. Niche shifts more important than dispersal in avoiding extinction.
Climate change responses benefit from a global food system approach. Well I never.
Morphological characterisation and evaluation of cacao (Theobroma cacao L.) in Trinidad to facilitate utilisation of Trinitario cacao globally. Some combine large seeds with high seed numbers.
The environmental impacts of palm oil and its alternatives. Not as bad as you may think.
Macroalgal germplasm banking for conservation, food security, and industry. Liquid cultures in dormancy is the way to do it, apparently.
Simple Sequence Repeat-Based Genetic Diversity and Analysis of Molecular Variance among on-Farm Native Potato Landraces from the Influence Zone of Camisea Gas Project, Northern Ayacucho, Peru. So what will be done about it?
Livelihood, Food and Nutrition Security in Southern Africa: What Role Do Indigenous Cattle Genetic Resources Play? A big role which in in danger and could in fact be bigger.
5,200-year-old cereal grains from the eastern Altai Mountains redate the trans-Eurasian crop exchange. Wheat and barley in the Altai one thousand years before we thought.
Complex responses of global insect pests to climate warming. 41% of 31 globally important phytophagous insect pests will increase in severity, jury out on what will happen with the others.

February 28, 2020February 28, 2020

AfricaRice’s new genebank opens for business

With all that’s been going on in Svalbard, I neglected to note that Africa Rice has just inaugurated its new genebank, the Rice Biodiversity Center for Africa, in Bouaké, Côte d’Ivoire. Here’s the press release. And here’s a Q&A from a few years back with the genebank manager, Dr Marie-Noëlle Ndjiondjop. This piece from the Genebank Platform gives the background: it’s a sad story with a happy ending, do read it. There’s more information on the genebank on the Platform website. And of course there’s an overview of its holdings in Genesys.

February 28, 2020February 28, 2020

Looking past 2020

The CBD’s Open-Ended Working Group on the post-2020 biodiversity framework (i.e., what happens after the Aichi Targets) has been meeting this week in Rome to discuss what they call their “Zero Draft.” You can read that on the CBD website, along with its appendix on how to monitor progress (i.e. goals and indicators). As ever, IISD does a great job of summarizing the sessions, and the corridor talk.

Why is this important to agriculture? Well, because in 2018 the fourteenth meeting of its Conference of Parties in Sharm el-Sheikh said that the work of the CBD after 2020 needed to be as inclusive and global as possible. That means the framework had to address the particular concerns of all the different sectors, including agriculture.

Yeah, but why is that even a thing? Surely conservation of agricultural biodiversity is just the same as conservation of other biodiversity. Actually, not so much. And if you want a very concise explanation of the difference, and a nice summary of the state of the negotiations to boot, you could do a lot worse than watch this interview with Kent Nnadozie, Secretary of the International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture. It’s on the CBD’s Facebook page, so I’m not entirely sure if everyone will be able — or willing — to see it. If that includes you, let me know and I’ll see if I can think of a way around it. ((Maybe my YouTube is better for you?)).

Spoiler alert: it’s the use.