Agricultural Biodiversity Weblog

September 4, 2017September 5, 2017

GPGR4 busy distracting genebanks in Giessen

The 4th International Symposium on Genomics of Plant Genetic Resources is off and running in Giessen, Germany, with a packed programme of cool examples of the application of the latest gizmos and fancy maths to the conservation and use of crop diversity. And yes, there’s a hashtag. As ever, if you’re there, and would like to blog the proceedings for us, the door is open, drop us a line.

September 4, 2017

Bhuwon Sthapit RIP

Very sad to hear a few days ago that Dr Bhuwon Sthapit, a tireless champion of the role of local communities in agrobiodiversity conservation, has died. There’s a lovely tribute on the Bioversity website. And a more formal obituary in the Himalayan Times. Bhuwon was a great guy and an inspirational scientist who leaves behind a massive legacy and a myriad heartbroken friends and colleagues all over the world.

September 4, 2017September 4, 2017

Brainfood: Maize trifecta, Montado grazing, Indian CWR, Amazonian cassava, Better breeding, Australian CWR, Apple routes, Citrus routes, African chickens, Ancient African ag, Ancient Mayan ag

Genotyping-by-sequencing highlights original diversity patterns within a European collection of 1191 maize flint lines, as compared to the maize USDA genebank. “The joint analysis of collections by GBS offers opportunities for a global diversity analysis of maize inbred lines.”
Genetic Diversity among Selected Elite CIMMYT Maize Hybrids in East and Southern Africa. It could, and should, be more.
Genetic diversity and intra-racial structure of Chilean Choclero corn (Zea mays L.) germplasm revealed by simple sequence repeat markers (SSRs). There’s diversity within the race. More than in Europe or elite African hybrids? Er, well…
The effect of grazing exclusion over time on structure, biodiversity, and regeneration of high nature value farmland ecosystems in Europe. Both undergrazing and overgrazing are bad for the Portuguese montado.
Wild Relatives of Cultivated Plants in India. Huge book, much of it on Google Books.
Farmer variety exchange along Amazonian rivers influences the genetic structure of manioc maintained in a regional Brazilian GeneBank. No structure among the 5 main Amazonian rivers.
Assessing and exploiting functional diversity in germplasm pools to enhance abiotic stress adaptation and yield in cereals and food legumes. Integration is the answer.
Implementing Access and Benefit Sharing for Seed Banking. Working with Indigenous traditional owners to collect and conserve CWR in Australia.
Genome re-sequencing reveals the history of apple and supports a two-stage model for fruit enlargement. But only one post-domestication. Also, wild apples E of the Tien Shan are totally untapped. Nice map.
The Citrus Route Revealed: From Southeast Asia into the Mediterranean. Along with apples? Here’s more.
Reconstructing Asian faunal introductions to eastern Africa from multi-proxy biomolecular and archaeological datasets. Mid-first millennium CE, or 3000 BCE? For chickens and rats, the former.
Geoarchaeological evidence for the construction, irrigation, cultivation, and resilience of 15th-18th century AD terraced landscape at Engaruka, Tanzania. Soil erosion can be domesticated.
Identifying ‘plantscapes’ at the Classic Maya village of Joya de Cerén, El Salvador. Central American Pompeii offers up casts of eerie ghost gardens of plaster casts of ancient crops.

September 4, 2017September 4, 2017

WorldVeg in strategy reboot

The World Vegetable Center has a new logo and strategy. Great too see the genebank front and center. More later, after I’ve had a chance to digest it all. Including this paper on their eggplant collection, coincidentally just out.

Oh and I might as well also give a shoutout to SOLCUC2017, the XIV Solanaceae and III Cucurbitaceae Genomics Joint Conference in Valencia, Spain.

The tweeting has already started.

Solanum incanum – the wonder plant!!! #solcuc2017 Pietro Gramazio pic.twitter.com/tgdzYbhM0v

— Sandra Knapp (@SandyKnapp) September 4, 2017

August 28, 2017September 4, 2017

Brainfood: DNA barcoding, Extremophiles, Chinese wild walnut, Sheep breeders, Argentinian beans, Biobanks QMS, E African seed systems, Apulian vines, People & diversity, Ancient farmers

Identification of zucchini varieties in commercial food products by DNA typing. You can trace zucchini varieties in food products despite various kinds of processing.
Anaerobic microorganisms in astrobiological analogue environments: from field site to culture collection. Practicing to collect genetic resources on Mars.
Genetic diversity and population structure in the narrow endemic Chinese walnut Juglans hopeiensis Hu: implications for conservation. It’s in trouble.
Do traditional sheep breeders perform conscious selection? An example from a participatory breeding program of Morada Nova sheep. Breeders of purebreds use different criteria to those of crossbreds.
Characterization of common bean wild populations for their in situ conservation in Northwestern Argentina. Some populations should be conserved because they’re pure wild, the rest because they’re not pure wild.
Quality Management System for Research Biobanks: a Tool to Incentivize Public-Private Partnerships. ISO developing a QMS specifically for biobanks. Full text in Google Books.
Cryopreservation of fruit germplasm. Elements of a strategy for Germany.
Implications of Seed Policies for On-Farm Agro-Biodiversity in Ethiopia and Uganda. 117 provisions in 21 national seed policies in coded for implications for availability and accessibility of improved, quality-controlled and genetically diverse local seed in both the formal and informal seed systems. Ok, now what?
Measuring the financial sustainability of vine landraces for better conservation programmes of Mediterranean agro-biodiversity. Landraces are not worth it, because of low yields.
Traditional People, Collectors of Diversity. ‘Nuff said.
Changes in human skull morphology across the agricultural transition are consistent with softer diets in preindustrial farming groups. Cheese changed your skull shape.