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Wild Banana Plant Marks Milestone for International Seed Bank

Category(-ies): Plant Conservation

...and another entry by Claire, UBC BG work-study student:

A seed bank at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew has collected 10% of the world's wild plants in its attempt to secure seeds from a quarter of the world's flowering plant species by 2020. The latest species addition is a wild banana, Musa itinerans, an important plant for wild elephants in Asia and currently under threat from agriculture. The seed bank is a partnership between more than 120 organizations in 54 countries. Stephen Hopper from the Royal Botanic Gardens describes the seed bank as an "insurance strategy" against future biodiversity losses.

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Posted by Daniel Mosquin at 7:00 AM | Comments (0)



Sweet Potato Protection is More Than Skin Deep

Category(-ies): Plant Discoveries , Plant Diseases and Pests

Thank you again to Claire Thompson for providing another entry:

Researchers from the USDA's Agricultural Research Service have found beneficial compounds in sweet potatoes that provide protection against plant diseases. The research team found measurable amounts of protective compounds called caffeoylquinic acids, which act as antioxidants against several types of plant fungi.

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Posted by Daniel Mosquin at 1:42 PM | Comments (0)



Bananas Over Plastic

Category(-ies): Novel Uses of Plants

Thanks again to Claire Thompson for providing an entry. Claire writes:

The Polymer Processing Research Centre at Queen's University in Belfast, Northern Ireland, is contributing to the Badana project, an initiative with aims to convert mass wastes from banana plantations into usable forms of plastic. The plastic will be used to make items ranging from oil tanks to plastic dolls. Benefits from the project are said to include the reduction of polyethylene production, job creation in the Canary Islands, and financial benefits to the banana plantations. If successful, the Badana project may offset the 25,000 tonnes of banana waste that is dumped into ravines in the Canary Islands each year.

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Posted by Daniel Mosquin at 7:00 AM | Comments (0)



"Extinct" flower found in Isle of Man garden

Category(-ies): Plant Discoveries

Claire Thompson, UBC BG work-study student, provides another write-up:

A cultivar of gladiolus thought to be extinct has been found in a garden on the Isle of Man. Gardener Edward Huyton has since donated individuals for propagation to the National Trust in England.

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Posted by Daniel Mosquin at 7:00 AM | Comments (0)



Urban Plant Extinctions Pose Threat to Global Biodiversity

Category(-ies): Plant Conservation

Another thank you to Claire Thompson for providing a write-up. Claire is a UBC Botanical Garden work-study student. Claire writes:

Botanists from 5 countries have compiled data on plant extinctions from 22 cities around the world. According to their study, both the pace of urban change and the proportion of native plants remaining in a city influence the variation in extinction rates. Modern cities were found to carry a large extinction debt. For example, Melbourne, Australia is expected to lose half of its native plants species over the next 100 years. These urban plant extinctions are a threat to worldwide biodiversity, highlighting the need for protection of native flora.

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Posted by Daniel Mosquin at 2:59 PM | Comments (0)



The Japanese Art of Gourmet Apples

Category(-ies): Botanical Art , Plants, Food and Medicine

Thank you to Claire Thompson, a UBC Botanical Garden work-study student, for providing this write-up. Claire writes:

The $150 apple? This article highlights photographer Jane Stevens' exploration of the Japanese craft of gourmet apple farming. Developed in the 19th century, this labour-intensive technique involves the meticulous work of farmers to produce the biggest and most beautiful apples. Farmers will tend to apples up to 12 times before cultivation, hand turning and using specialized techniques to increase their sugar content and produce delicious and uniform fruits for sale in Japanese markets.

From the University of Cincinnati Magazine, continue reading: Perfect to the Core.

Posted by Daniel Mosquin at 3:47 PM | Comments (1)