PGR in academia

European Seed is a new(ish) magazine aimed at the European seed sector. Its latest issue features a discussion about what academic institutions have to do to access and make available plant genetic resources according to all the relevant rules and regulations. Among the various experts involved in the Q&A is Theo van Hintum, of the Dutch genebank, well known to our blog. ((I learnt about it through a tweet from CGN.)) Here’s a snippet.

How to do seed longevity experiments

The article “Seed longevity phenotyping: recommendations on research methodology,” by Fiona Hay and others, is now freely available online. Read the whole thing, and note the use of DOIs, if you’re thinking of phenotyping seedlots for longevity or storability. But here’s the bottom line, just to whet you appetite:

  • Use ageing conditions that are appropriate to the potential downstream use of the findings. Ideally such conditions should be standardized to enable comparisons across studies and perhaps, species.
  • Take enough samples for germination testing such that a survival curve can be fitted to the data and appropriate parameters determined.
  • Specify if seeds were de- or adsorbing moisture; determine the MC of the seeds if they are placed in a controlled-RH environment (e.g. over a saturated salt solution).

In an earlier Brainfood I said it was behind a paywall, which I swear it was when I checked, but that’s not the case anymore, thank goodness.

An experiment on cassava degeneration, Twitter-style

IITA plant virologist James Legg asks:

Cassava mosaic virus disease & Cassava brown streak virus disease constrain production throughout East & Central Africa, but do the effects get worse if farmers keep recycling planting material?

Yes, right?

Well, it’s more complicated than that. Spoiler alert:

1. Degeneration is most clear in resistant varieties as it happens slowly
2. Virus-free planting material gives greater yield gains than extreme resistance
3. BUT, virus-free material has no value for highly susceptible varieties

But read how they got there.

Brainfood: Makapuno, Middle Eastern dogs, Date palm origins, Speedy NUS, Red apples, Apple characterization, Phenotyping double, Assisted migration & pathology, Soya diversity, Sustainable intensification, Seed research, Cucurbita history, Potato value chains, Livestock ES