Fonio – Agricultural Biodiversity Weblog

February 17, 2010February 17, 2010

Nibbles: Cassava, fonio, apples, Salicornia, aurochs, seeds

Nagib Nassar challenges the wisdom of GM cassava. Cultivate indigenous and wild varieties of the crop!
Or fonio (Digitaria exilis). New paper on its diversity.
And for dessert? Wild apple diversity?
Need salad? How about Salicornia then?
Nice aurochs steak to go with the salad?
Not too soon to start planning a future harvest, if you’re in Ireland and want seeds.

1. Modelling adoption of biofortified crops is no substitute for empirical field surveys. Kind of obvious, but I guess needed saying.
2. Kenyans may not need biofortified crops, though. Assuming they are actually eating their traditional vegetables.
3. There’s a whole genebank for Africa’s vegetables.
4. Saba senegalensis is also naturally biofortified.
5. The High Atlas Foundation is also on a fruit tree mission
6. Is the date palm the most important fruit tree in the world, though?
7. I wonder what will happen to USDA’s fruit tree collections.
Published on August 19, 2025