Agrobiodiversity is crops, livestock, foodways, microbes, pollinators, wild relatives …
There’s a very good report from Pavlovsk on Al Jazeera’s youtube channel.
My only objection is to the reference to Pavlovsk as “one of only two botanical repositories on the planet.” And since we’re being all multimedia and social networky, I’ll also mention the photos on the Global Crop Diversity Trust’s Facebook page, which could do with — and are in fact receiving — some user-provided value-added.
And a big welcome to all of you who have ended up here from the 31st Berry-Go-Round. Have fun! Everybody else, off you go to Seeds Aside.
The International Wheat Genome Sequence Consortium, an international consortium of wheat growers, public and private breeders and scientists, strongly disagrees with implications that the sequence reads made available by a UK team, led by Professor Neil Hall, represent in any way the sequence of the wheat genome or that this work is comparable to genome sequences for rice, maize, or soybean.
Evolutionary Applications has a Special Issue out devoted to “Evolution in Agro-Ecosystems. ” Attentive readers will spot the fact that we have already blogged about the papers on why there are no perennial grain crops and on the response of landraces to climate change. But there’s a lot more there.
It is very refreshing to see some real reporting on the situation around Pavlovsk Experiment Station. National Public Radio in the US today airs a story by reporter David Greene that goes a little beyond the recycling we have seen so much of. He explains, for example, how the gardens at Pavlovsk can look abandoned and yet remain vitally important. He also talks to scientists and locals.
One thing I don’t get. Greene writes:
Barring action by the Kremlin, the first land auction could take place as soon as Sept. 23.
But when will we know the results of either the scrutiny ordered by President Medvedev or the appeal to the Supreme Arbitration Court?