Showing papers in "Economic Botany in 2007"
285 citations
TL;DR: Investigation of the relationship between TAC and TPC for 292 morphologically distinct endophytic fungi isolated from 29 traditional Chinese medicinal plants reveals that the metabolites produced by a wide diversity of endophyic fungi in culture can be a potential source of novel natural antioxidants.
Abstract: Medicinal plants and their endophytes are important resources for discovery of natural products. Several previous studies have found a positive correlation between total antioxidant capacity (TAC) and total phenolic content (TPC) of many medicinal plant extracts. However, no information is available on whether such a relationship also exists in their endophytic fungal metabolites. We investigated the relationship between TAC and TPC for 292 morphologically distinct endophytic fungi isolated from 29 traditional Chinese medicinal plants. The antioxidant capacities of the endophytic fungal cultures were significantly correlated with their total phenolic contents, suggesting that phenolics were also the major antioxidant constituents of the endophytes. Some of the endophytes were found to produce metabolites possessing strong antioxidant activities. Several bioactive constituents from the fungal cultures and host plant extracts were identified. This investigation reveals that the metabolites produced by a wide diversity of endophytic fungi in culture can be a potential source of novel natural antioxidants.
217 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors investigated the use of woody plants by a rural community in an area of dry land Caatinga vegetation in northeastern Brazil, and they found that the most important uses were related to harvesting for energy and construction purposes.
Abstract: This study investigated the use of woody plants by a rural community in an area of dry land Caatinga vegetation in northeastern Brazil. Information was obtained concerning this woody species with a diameter that is equal to or greater than 3 centimeters (cm) at soil level surveyed in 100 sample plots totaling 1 hectare (ha). The following question is the hypothesis we tested. Is a plant’s relative importance (as measured by its use value) related to its “apparency,” as measured by its abundance and ecological dominance? “Apparency” explains the use value of plants in four categories: medicinal, construction, fuel, and technology. The most important uses of woody plants are related to harvesting for energy and construction purposes.
139 citations
TL;DR: In this article, the results from a quantitative ethnobotanical study in five Yuracare and Trinitario communities in the Bolivian Amazon were evaluated: interviews in situ during transects, walk-in-the-woods, and homegarden sampling; and interviews ex situ with fresh plant material, voucher specimens, or plant photographs as reference tools.
Abstract: Ethnobotanists use a variety of interview techniques to collect ethnobotanical data. Drawing upon the results from a quantitative ethnobotanical study in five Yuracare and Trinitario communities in the Bolivian Amazon, the pros and cons of the following methods are evaluated: (1) interviews in situ during transects, walk-in-the-woods, and homegarden sampling; and (2) interviews ex situ with fresh plant material, voucher specimens, or plant photographs as reference tools. Although the systematic use of plant photographs for ethnobotanical interviews is poorly documented in literature, the results show that indigenous participants in our study recognize significantly more plant species from photographs than from voucher specimens. It is argued that, especially in remote and isolated study sites, photographs might be advantageous over voucher specimens.
107 citations
97 citations
TL;DR: There is no evidence that morphological plant signatures ever led to the discovery of medicinal properties, and DOS fundamentally is a mnemonic and, therefore, is exceedingly valuable in traditional cultures.
Abstract: The Doctrine of Signatures (DOS) is found throughout the world. Most scholars dismiss it as a “primitive” or “prescientific” idea. Despite its long history, the doctrine has had little critical review. A careful evaluation of signatures suggests four things. (1) There is no evidence that morphological plant signatures ever led to the discovery of medicinal properties. Considering DOS in this manner is unproductive and largely untestable. (2) Signatures are post hoc attributions rather than a priori clues to the utility of medicinal plants. (3) It is productive to redefine signatures to include organoleptic properties associated with therapeutic value. Plants with strong odors or bitter tastes, for example, commonly are found in pharmacopoeias. (4) DOS should be considered for what it primarily is—a way of disseminating information. DOS fundamentally is a mnemonic and, therefore, is exceedingly valuable in traditional cultures.
89 citations
TL;DR: Experimental scape harvesting in mid-October had no consistent effects on population density, plant survival, or reproduction (clonal or sexual) after one year, and the effects of harvest on S. nitens population ecology were tested.
Abstract: The handicrafts made from Syngonanthus nitens scapes have been an important source of income for rural communities in the Jalapao region of Brazil since the late 1990s. This study analyzed S. nitens harvest and management techniques and the economic importance of the handicrafts. We also tested the effects of harvest on S. nitens population ecology. Handicrafts provide about US$1,800/year per artisan, being especially important to women. Experimental scape harvesting in mid-October, which is when knowledgeable artisans harvest and when the seeds are mature, had no consistent effects on population density, plant survival, or reproduction (clonal or sexual) after one year. Since 40% of the new recruits come from seeds, harvest after seed maturation, combined with removal of only the scapes and not the flowerheads, can allow for S. nitens seeds to remain in the populations and help ensure sustainability of the growing S. nitens handicraft activity. Important economic aspects of S. nitens harvest sustainability include the high value of the handicrafts and the fact they are not perishable.
89 citations
TL;DR: Origin of the apple indicates that the earliest selections of domesticated apples could have come directly from the wild apple, without the involvement of other species, contrary to earlier hypotheses, which postulated extensive, early hybridization.
Abstract: Humans have cultivated apples for millennia, and there are thousands of cultivars. This joins similar books for the general reader: the time is ripe for an update on the origin of the sweet apple, currently called Malus pumila. Earlier books in this genre antedate recent developments. The bibliography is best part of the book, 390 entries, with 58 pre-1800 entries, and 75 from 2000 onward. Sloppy editing mars it, however: German capitalizations are botched, some authors’ names are misordered. British editions of some recent titles are cited, which may make finding them difficult in U.S. libraries, e.g., Browning (1999) is titled Apples is the U.S. and dates from 1998; Sanders (1988) is The Apple Book. Nice features are the abundant, long quotes from earlier literature and translations: e.g., grafting from Qi Min Yao Shu, a Chinese scroll from the mid-sixth century B.C.E. The index disappoints: it contains only English and Latin names for animals and plants, but is incomplete, e.g., Pomoïdeae, Sorbus terminalis, S. florentina inter alia are missing. About one-third of the index lists apple cultivars, most receiving just passing mention in the text. The text itself contains enough surprising or incorrect statements to make one suspicious of the whole. “The honeybee . . . may indeed have originated in the area,” i.e., Tian Shan (p. 26). Though A. mellifera subsp. pomonella, not mentioned here, was recently described from there, the honeybee originated in Africa. In a list of cultivars “. . . British examples include . . . ‘Stark’s Earliest’ . . .” (p. 67), from Idaho fide at least two of the authors’ references. “Grafting was not widely practiced [sic] in the Americas in the 17th and 18th centuries . . .” (p. 157). Yet many cultivars, which would have had to be grafted, were widely planted by the early 1700s, e.g., Rhode Island Greening. Confusingly, the authors noted this (p. 151). Mesopotamia is mislabeled on Map 8. “[V]ery few American apples were listed specifically for cider making” (p. 157), yet one in six cultivars in the seminal American pomona (Coxe 1817) are cider apples. The book is marred by the inclusion of irrelevant or highly speculative sections: the long discussion of camels concludes that their efficacy in distributing apple seeds is dubious (p. 78). Regarding dung beetles, although “nothing seems to be known” about their occurrence in the Tian Shan, or for that matter their involvement in the dispersal of apple seeds, there is a long discussion of them (p. 78–80). The core of the book is Origin of the apple (Chap. 2). Summarizing that “morphological, biochemical and molecular variation within [the] wild apple indicates that the earliest selections of domesticated apples could have come directly from the wild apple, without the involvement of other species.” This is contrary to earlier hypotheses, which postulated extensive, early hybridization. The quote is from Harris et al. (2002:429), which, though listed in the references, appears without attribution in large part (p. 53). Surprisingly, large parts of the first few pages of Chap. 2 are taken verbatim or nearly verbatim from Harris et al. (2002), though without comparing the texts, one would not know this. The story of the apple continues to unfold. Unfortunately, this does not tell it well. Harris et al. (2002), whose bibliography is repeated, with one omission, here, is a better update. Juniper (2007) supplements Harris et al. with more geological and evolutionary information.
71 citations
TL;DR: Extending Darwin’s analogy to farmers can facilitate communication between farmers, biologists, and plant breeders to improve selection and crop genetic resource conservation.
Abstract: Darwin developed his theory of evolution based on an analogy between artificial selection by breeders of his day and “natural selection.” For Darwin, selection included what biologists came to see as being composed of (1) phenotypic selection of individuals based on phenotypic differences, and, when these are based on heritable genotypic differences, (2) genetic response between generations, which can result in (3) evolution (cumulative directional genetic response over generations). The use of the term “selection” in biology and plant breeding today reflects Darwin's assumption—phenotypic selection is only biologically significant when it results in evolution. In contrast, research shows that small-scale, traditionally-based farmers select seed as part of an integrated production and consumption system in which selection is often not part of an evolutionary process, but is still useful to farmers. Extending Darwin's analogy to farmers can facilitate communication between farmers, biologists, and...
59 citations
49 citations
TL;DR: Preservation of Agave germplasm diversity in west-central Mexico requires increased cultivation and valuation of traditional landraces, and the richness, distribution, and morphological variation of wild and cultivated Agave populations were characterized.
Abstract: Extensive monovarietal cultivation of Age tequilana Weber var. azul is threatening the diversity of the germplasm used in traditional Agave spirits production in west-central Mexico. To promote the preservation, use, and management of this germplasm, an ethnobotanical and morphological study was done in the center and south of the state of Jalisco, Mexico. The richness, distribution, and morphological variation of wild and cultivated Agave populations were characterized, and producers’ roles in germplasm maintenance and diversification were analyzed. Results indicated that: 1) A. angustifolia and A. rhodacantha are the primary gene pools used for selection; 2) Traditional landraces are differentiated morphological entities; and 3) In situ maintenance and increase of Agave germplasm diversity are the result of constant selection of wild germplasm, producer management of populations in the wild-domesticated gradient, and preservation of old landraces. Preservation of Agave germplasm diversity in west-central Mexico requires increased cultivation and valuation of traditional landraces.
TL;DR: In this article, a tree with 10 clusters that form culture-specific logical entities, allowing people to structure their environment, is constructed, and within each cluster, plant species are replaced and incorporated provided they resemble the general profile.
Abstract: Different types of culinary preparations provide the most information in the cluster analysis of variables. The cluster analysis of items produced a tree with 10 clusters that form culture–specific logical entities, allowing people to structure their environment. Within each cluster, plant species are replaced and incorporated provided they resemble the general profile. This allows innovation and adaptation on a local level and explains the differences between adjacent localities in the list of species. Two types of clusters or species complexes are described: “species–labeled” and “uses–labeled.” Lastly, we discuss the underlying empirical basis of the ethnoclassification in the Mediterranean area.
TL;DR: This paper analyzed farmers' practices for maintaining sorghum seed security in a specific season (1998-99) in Ethiopia, which provides a richer picture of coping strategies than accounts of general practices, as it shows how responses reflect events unfolding over time and household-specific situations.
Abstract: Many interventions try to address farmers' seed insecurity, though few assess the causes of farmers' vulnerability or understand their coping strategies. This paper analyzes farmers' practices for maintaining sorghum seed security in a specific season (1998–99) in Ethiopia, which provides a richer picture of coping strategies than accounts of “general” practices, as it shows how responses reflect events unfolding over time and household-specific situations. High seeding rates ensure against environmental uncertainty, but not everyone has sufficient seed for repeated sowing should stands fail to establish. Off-farm seed fills this gap, though payment is usually required for substantial quantities; only 20% of seed from other farmers came for free in 1998. Differences between seed suppliers and recipients suggest indicators for chronic seed insecurity. The discussion explores implications for supporting farmers' coping strategies. Helping the poorest farmers access off-farm seed, from other farmers...
TL;DR: The initial draft of the resulting Kaua‘i Declaration is being shared here and the final declaration text, along with a white paper, will be published on NTBG’s website in the near future.
Abstract: A group of 44 people from ethnobotany and associated disciplines participated in an Ethnobotany Summit at NTBG Headquarters in January 2007. Considering the grave environmental crisis facing the world today, the loss of biodiversity and the loss of culture, the group decided to issue a statement to stress the importance of ethnobotany for providing some of the solutions towards more sustainable living. The initial draft of the resulting Kaua‘i Declaration is being shared here. The final declaration text, along with a white paper, will be published on NTBG’s website in the near future.
TL;DR: It appears likely that human action has resulted in movement of northern Mexican plants into the region south of the Volcanic Belt, and when supposed translocants are included, a significantly higher genetic diversity is observed south ofThe VolCANic Belt compared to northern Mexico.
Abstract: Vanilla planifolia, a highly prized tropical crop, produces commercial, vanilla. We investigated RAPD genetic diversity and geographical structure within V. planifolia. Multivariate analyses revealed three separate geographical groups of V. planifolia: a) a Costa Rican group; b) a Mexican group consisting only of cultivated plants from north of the Trans-Mexican Volcanic Belt; and c) a Mexican group from Oaxaca, Chiapas, and Quintana Roo, which are wild and wild-sourced cultivated plants. It appears likely that human action has resulted in movement of northern Mexican plants into the region south of the Volcanic Belt. When supposed translocants are included, a significantly higher genetic diversity is observed south of the Volcanic Belt compared to northern Mexico. Furthermore, cultivar names used in V. planifolia do not appear to reflect genetically defined groups.
TL;DR: A study of changes in agrobiodiversity documents the domesticated species and, to a limited degree, the landraces, cultivated in the Siwa oasis of Egypt in 1919, 1924, 1968-1969, and 2004-2006.
Abstract: This study of changes in agrobiodiversity documents the domesticated species and, to a limited degree, the landraces, cultivated in the Siwa oasis of Egypt in 1919, 1924, 1968–1969, and 2004–2006. Siwa is ecogeographically and culturally isolated by more than 300 kilometers (km) from other agrarian communities and, perhaps because of this, detailed observations were made there by a number of agricultural scientists and geographers in a way that provides time-series data lacking from many other agrarian landscapes. Although I have drawn upon Siwan names for crops first published in 1890, this report may be the first substantive record of Tasiwit (Eastern Berber) folk names for traditional crops that allows ethno-linguistic comparisons with Cairene Arabic and other Northern Berber (Tamazight) dialects in North Africa. The perennial crop inventory of Siwan Berbers has remained relatively stable through time and few traditionally cultivated annual species or landraces have been lost. However, additio...
TL;DR: In this paper, Juniper et al. provide an update on the origin of the sweet apple, currently called Malus pumila, and a bibliography of 390 entries with 58 pre-1800 entries, and 75 from 2000 onward.
Abstract: Humans have cultivated apples for millennia, and there are thousands of cultivars. This joins similar books for the general reader: the time is ripe for an update on the origin of the sweet apple, currently called Malus pumila. Earlier books in this genre antedate recent developments. The bibliography is best part of the book, 390 entries, with 58 pre-1800 entries, and 75 from 2000 onward. Sloppy editing mars it, however: German capitalizations are botched, some authors’ names are misordered. British editions of some recent titles are cited, which may make finding them difficult in U.S. libraries, e.g., Browning (1999) is titled Apples is the U.S. and dates from 1998; Sanders (1988) is The Apple Book. Nice features are the abundant, long quotes from earlier literature and translations: e.g., grafting from Qi Min Yao Shu, a Chinese scroll from the mid-sixth century B.C.E. The index disappoints: it contains only English and Latin names for animals and plants, but is incomplete, e.g., Pomoïdeae, Sorbus terminalis, S. florentina inter alia are missing. About one-third of the index lists apple cultivars, most receiving just passing mention in the text. The text itself contains enough surprising or incorrect statements to make one suspicious of the whole. “The honeybee . . . may indeed have originated in the area,” i.e., Tian Shan (p. 26). Though A. mellifera subsp. pomonella, not mentioned here, was recently described from there, the honeybee originated in Africa. In a list of cultivars “. . . British examples include . . . ‘Stark’s Earliest’ . . .” (p. 67), from Idaho fide at least two of the authors’ references. “Grafting was not widely practiced [sic] in the Americas in the 17th and 18th centuries . . .” (p. 157). Yet many cultivars, which would have had to be grafted, were widely planted by the early 1700s, e.g., Rhode Island Greening. Confusingly, the authors noted this (p. 151). Mesopotamia is mislabeled on Map 8. “[V]ery few American apples were listed specifically for cider making” (p. 157), yet one in six cultivars in the seminal American pomona (Coxe 1817) are cider apples. The book is marred by the inclusion of irrelevant or highly speculative sections: the long discussion of camels concludes that their efficacy in distributing apple seeds is dubious (p. 78). Regarding dung beetles, although “nothing seems to be known” about their occurrence in the Tian Shan, or for that matter their involvement in the dispersal of apple seeds, there is a long discussion of them (p. 78–80). The core of the book is Origin of the apple (Chap. 2). Summarizing that “morphological, biochemical and molecular variation within [the] wild apple indicates that the earliest selections of domesticated apples could have come directly from the wild apple, without the involvement of other species.” This is contrary to earlier hypotheses, which postulated extensive, early hybridization. The quote is from Harris et al. (2002:429), which, though listed in the references, appears without attribution in large part (p. 53). Surprisingly, large parts of the first few pages of Chap. 2 are taken verbatim or nearly verbatim from Harris et al. (2002), though without comparing the texts, one would not know this. The story of the apple continues to unfold. Unfortunately, this does not tell it well. Harris et al. (2002), whose bibliography is repeated, with one omission, here, is a better update. Juniper (2007) supplements Harris et al. with more geological and evolutionary information.
TL;DR: This is the first report on Mazahua knowledge and classification of plants and mushrooms and the roles of these resources in the local economy in the Monarch Butterfly Biosphere Reserve, Mexico.
Abstract: This is the first report on Mazahua knowledge and classification of plants and mushrooms and the roles of these resources in the local economy in the Monarch Butterfly Biosphere Reserve, Mexico. A total of 213 useful plant species and 31 species of edible mushrooms were recorded. Fruits of Prunus serotina, Rubus liebmanii, and Crataegus mexicana were the main wild fruit gathered by people (7.47, 4.40, and 1.82 tons of fruits per year, respectively), whereas their availability in the territory of the village was approximately 302.6, 6.0, and 34.188 tons. Brassica campestris, Rorippa nasturtiumaquaticum, Chenopodium berlandieri, and Amaranthus hybridus were the principal non-cultivated greens consumed by people (4.3, 0.5, 0.7, and 0.9 tons per year, while 23.6, 3.78, traces, and 46.0 tons, respectively, were available). Extraction of medicinal plants is low but gathering of Ternstroemia spp. flowers endangers local populations of these plants. All households of the village used fuelwood (1,767.2 to...
TL;DR: A new quantitative method for distinguishing wild and domestic seed populations based on measurements of the shape of the distribution of morphological variation, rather than on typology or increase in mean size, was developed and initially tested.
Abstract: Morphometry is the science of measuring two-dimensional and three-dimensional aspects and parameters of object morphology, including size, shape, and tomography. Compared to conventional measurement, computer-assisted morphometry is exponentially faster, more accurate, more precise, and more efficient while providing a substantially broader spectrum of measurements of morphological parameters. Objective quantification replaces subjective, perception-based typology in the analysis of variation. Morphometric data from seed reference populations representing more than 1,000 taxa were used to study patterns of morphological variation and to assess related analytical assumptions and basic protocols. Many assumptions about the nature of seed morphology were found suspect and current minimum standards for representative reference seed types and control populations are inadequate and unreliable. Standard plots of area size distributions of wild and domestic seed populations revealed a consistent differen...
TL;DR: In this article, a good alternative to do in getting this desirable knowledge and experience is to read political science time astronomy and the cosmos, which can take more advantages with limited budget.
Abstract: Make more knowledge even in less time every day. You may not always spend your time and money to go abroad and get the experience and knowledge by yourself. Reading is a good alternative to do in getting this desirable knowledge and experience. You may gain many things from experiencing directly, but of course it will spend much money. So here, by reading maya political science time astronomy and the cosmos, you can take more advantages with limited budget.
TL;DR: Origin of the apple indicates that the earliest selections of domesticated apples could have come directly from the wild apple, without the involvement of other species, contrary to earlier hypotheses, which postulated extensive, early hybridization.
Abstract: Humans have cultivated apples for millennia, and there are thousands of cultivars. This joins similar books for the general reader: the time is ripe for an update on the origin of the sweet apple, currently called Malus pumila. Earlier books in this genre antedate recent developments. The bibliography is best part of the book, 390 entries, with 58 pre-1800 entries, and 75 from 2000 onward. Sloppy editing mars it, however: German capitalizations are botched, some authors’ names are misordered. British editions of some recent titles are cited, which may make finding them difficult in U.S. libraries, e.g., Browning (1999) is titled Apples is the U.S. and dates from 1998; Sanders (1988) is The Apple Book. Nice features are the abundant, long quotes from earlier literature and translations: e.g., grafting from Qi Min Yao Shu, a Chinese scroll from the mid-sixth century B.C.E. The index disappoints: it contains only English and Latin names for animals and plants, but is incomplete, e.g., Pomoïdeae, Sorbus terminalis, S. florentina inter alia are missing. About one-third of the index lists apple cultivars, most receiving just passing mention in the text. The text itself contains enough surprising or incorrect statements to make one suspicious of the whole. “The honeybee . . . may indeed have originated in the area,” i.e., Tian Shan (p. 26). Though A. mellifera subsp. pomonella, not mentioned here, was recently described from there, the honeybee originated in Africa. In a list of cultivars “. . . British examples include . . . ‘Stark’s Earliest’ . . .” (p. 67), from Idaho fide at least two of the authors’ references. “Grafting was not widely practiced [sic] in the Americas in the 17th and 18th centuries . . .” (p. 157). Yet many cultivars, which would have had to be grafted, were widely planted by the early 1700s, e.g., Rhode Island Greening. Confusingly, the authors noted this (p. 151). Mesopotamia is mislabeled on Map 8. “[V]ery few American apples were listed specifically for cider making” (p. 157), yet one in six cultivars in the seminal American pomona (Coxe 1817) are cider apples. The book is marred by the inclusion of irrelevant or highly speculative sections: the long discussion of camels concludes that their efficacy in distributing apple seeds is dubious (p. 78). Regarding dung beetles, although “nothing seems to be known” about their occurrence in the Tian Shan, or for that matter their involvement in the dispersal of apple seeds, there is a long discussion of them (p. 78–80). The core of the book is Origin of the apple (Chap. 2). Summarizing that “morphological, biochemical and molecular variation within [the] wild apple indicates that the earliest selections of domesticated apples could have come directly from the wild apple, without the involvement of other species.” This is contrary to earlier hypotheses, which postulated extensive, early hybridization. The quote is from Harris et al. (2002:429), which, though listed in the references, appears without attribution in large part (p. 53). Surprisingly, large parts of the first few pages of Chap. 2 are taken verbatim or nearly verbatim from Harris et al. (2002), though without comparing the texts, one would not know this. The story of the apple continues to unfold. Unfortunately, this does not tell it well. Harris et al. (2002), whose bibliography is repeated, with one omission, here, is a better update. Juniper (2007) supplements Harris et al. with more geological and evolutionary information.
TL;DR: In this article, the authors evaluate the success, failures, limits, opportunities and challenges of the certification of non-timber forest products (NTFPs) over the past decade.
Abstract: Non-timber forest products (NTFP) have stirred the imagination of conservationists and proponents of sustainable development for at least two decades. During the same period the certification of sustainable forest management plans for timber has expanded (e.g., Forest Stewardship Council = FSC), as have other types of certification (e.g., organic, fair trade etc.). The marriage of certification and NTFPs started a decade ago and has expanded enthusiastically since, with some stirring successes and some disappointing failures. This small volume comes at an appropriate moment (marriage + 10!) to evaluate the successes, failures, limits, opportunities and challenges, building on a larger, more technical volume that evaluated the state-of-the-art of how to certify NTFPs and how this might be done for 23 products or groups of products (Shanley et al., 2002). The three authors are leaders in the field and have the experience to critically examine the past decade. The number of successes is smaller than I expected: 16 projects certified by FSC in the world, including maple (Acer saccharum) syrup in the USA, Christmas trees in Lithuania, and vegetable ivory (Phytelephas macrocarpa) in Acre, Brazil. Some projects have certified up to 40 species, with the largest project concentrating on phyto-pharmaceuticals and botanicals for cosmetics. Strangely, the number of certifications being processed is not much different: 17 projects, including mushrooms in Switzerland, piaçava (Attalea funifera) fiber in Amapá, Brazil, and maté (Ilex paraguariensis) in Rio Grande de Sul, Brazil. The authors examine the reasons for this limited success and tease out the numerous factors that influence success and failure. In this endeavor, they count on short case studies by 18 collaborators from Africa, Asia, and Latin America, all of whom have detailed experience in the process of certification. The variety of factors that influence failure are especially interesting, as they highlight the limits of certification. Although the number of certifications is small, as one rubber-tapper leader pointed out “Certification must be seen as an instrument to encourage forest management and not as an end in itself. It is a process.” This insightful remark points to the greatest success of the numerous attempts at certification, even when they fail to be certified: the process generates spin-offs that are supporting community empowerment, equitable benefit sharing, forest management, best practices in associated areas, in short, sustainable development. The volume lists, explains and examines each limitation, each challenge and each opportunity. The authors are optimistic and fully realistic, recognizing that internationally accepted certification will only work for a small number of products, but that national and even local certification schemes offer opportunities for social, ecological, and economic sustainability. Their final section contains recommendations based upon the lessons learned in the last decade which are especially clear and insightful. If adopted, the next decade will be even more interesting than the last! This book is essential reading for all those interested in certification and NTFPs, both proponents and detractors, as well as for all those interested in maintaining and expanding useful, viable, economic forests throughout the world. Unfortunately, the book is only available in Portuguese. I hope that CIFOR and other international agencies will translate it widely, as this kind of critical analysis is essential for the development community worldwide.
TL;DR: In this article, the authors conducted a survey of 220 farms from eight different villages in the north part of Benin and found that the richness of yam cultivars is more related to farmers' ethnic group than to their geographical location.
Abstract: This study was undertaken to contribute to the sustainable management of yam (Dioscorea sp.) diversity in Benin. We surveyed 220 farms from eight different villages in the north part of Benin. We hypothesized that the richness of yam cultivars is more related to farmers’ ethnic group than to their geographical location. Cultivar diversity may differ from one ethnic group to another within a given area, but remains constant for a given ethnic group independent of its geographical location. This study identified 182 yam cultivars in the region; however, only a few farmers on a very small scale marginally produce more than 50% of that total richness. Cultivation practices as well as historical and socio-cultural determinants played important roles in the creation and maintenance of yam diversity within each ethnic group. The Bariba and the Gando ethnic groups, having developed yam cultivation since time immemorial, still hold the most diverse collection of yam varieties. The access of farmers to main roads and the availability of arable and in a given village greatly influenced the overall yam diversity in the region. This study highlighted the need to combine social determinants and geographical patterns in the conservation of agricultural diversity in Benin.
TL;DR: In this article, a map presenting survey points illustrates that collections have occurred repeatedly in the same locations and that urbanization and industrialization, not high yielding varieties, are displacing traditional varieties.
Abstract: Passport data for Mexico's Guanajuato State were used to locate the sites where maize was collected in the 1940s and 1950s in an effort to document and conserve diversity. A map presenting survey points illustrates that collections have occurred repeatedly in the same locations. Observations of these locations reveal that urbanization and industrialization, not high yielding varieties, are displacing traditional varieties. Non-linear principal components analysis was used to assess associations between variables in areas where maize persists. Landraces appear to be associated with mountains and mesas, mixed cropping, little or no access to irrigation and areas classified as having low agricultural capacity; conversely, landraces have more commonly been replaced in areas of high agricultural capacity. The areas of high agriculture capacity, located in the riparian areas and plains, also have been the easiest to develop for urban and industrial use. Increasingly high rates of urbanization and development in areas of high agriculture capacity will impede the conservation of crop diversity in these areas.
TL;DR: In this article, Juniper et al. provide an update on the origin of the sweet apple, currently called Malus pumila, and a bibliography of 390 entries with 58 pre-1800 entries, and 75 from 2000 onward.
Abstract: Humans have cultivated apples for millennia, and there are thousands of cultivars. This joins similar books for the general reader: the time is ripe for an update on the origin of the sweet apple, currently called Malus pumila. Earlier books in this genre antedate recent developments. The bibliography is best part of the book, 390 entries, with 58 pre-1800 entries, and 75 from 2000 onward. Sloppy editing mars it, however: German capitalizations are botched, some authors’ names are misordered. British editions of some recent titles are cited, which may make finding them difficult in U.S. libraries, e.g., Browning (1999) is titled Apples is the U.S. and dates from 1998; Sanders (1988) is The Apple Book. Nice features are the abundant, long quotes from earlier literature and translations: e.g., grafting from Qi Min Yao Shu, a Chinese scroll from the mid-sixth century B.C.E. The index disappoints: it contains only English and Latin names for animals and plants, but is incomplete, e.g., Pomoïdeae, Sorbus terminalis, S. florentina inter alia are missing. About one-third of the index lists apple cultivars, most receiving just passing mention in the text. The text itself contains enough surprising or incorrect statements to make one suspicious of the whole. “The honeybee . . . may indeed have originated in the area,” i.e., Tian Shan (p. 26). Though A. mellifera subsp. pomonella, not mentioned here, was recently described from there, the honeybee originated in Africa. In a list of cultivars “. . . British examples include . . . ‘Stark’s Earliest’ . . .” (p. 67), from Idaho fide at least two of the authors’ references. “Grafting was not widely practiced [sic] in the Americas in the 17th and 18th centuries . . .” (p. 157). Yet many cultivars, which would have had to be grafted, were widely planted by the early 1700s, e.g., Rhode Island Greening. Confusingly, the authors noted this (p. 151). Mesopotamia is mislabeled on Map 8. “[V]ery few American apples were listed specifically for cider making” (p. 157), yet one in six cultivars in the seminal American pomona (Coxe 1817) are cider apples. The book is marred by the inclusion of irrelevant or highly speculative sections: the long discussion of camels concludes that their efficacy in distributing apple seeds is dubious (p. 78). Regarding dung beetles, although “nothing seems to be known” about their occurrence in the Tian Shan, or for that matter their involvement in the dispersal of apple seeds, there is a long discussion of them (p. 78–80). The core of the book is Origin of the apple (Chap. 2). Summarizing that “morphological, biochemical and molecular variation within [the] wild apple indicates that the earliest selections of domesticated apples could have come directly from the wild apple, without the involvement of other species.” This is contrary to earlier hypotheses, which postulated extensive, early hybridization. The quote is from Harris et al. (2002:429), which, though listed in the references, appears without attribution in large part (p. 53). Surprisingly, large parts of the first few pages of Chap. 2 are taken verbatim or nearly verbatim from Harris et al. (2002), though without comparing the texts, one would not know this. The story of the apple continues to unfold. Unfortunately, this does not tell it well. Harris et al. (2002), whose bibliography is repeated, with one omission, here, is a better update. Juniper (2007) supplements Harris et al. with more geological and evolutionary information.
TL;DR: The extensive local and regional market for traditional, handcrafted twig and grass brooms in the Bushbuckridge municipality, South Africa, provides an important means of livelihood security for several hundred poor households in the face of increasing economic hardship as discussed by the authors.
Abstract: The extensive local and regional market for traditional, handcrafted twig and grass brooms in the Bushbuckridge municipality, South Africa, provides an important means of livelihood security for several hundred poor households in the face of increasing economic hardship. Participants in this trade were a vulnerable group of middle-aged to elderly women with poor levels of education and few assets. Over half headed their own house-holds, and several came from households affected by AIDS. Entry into the broom trade was mainly a coping strategy in response to crisis, becoming long-term in the absence of alternatives. Average net annual incomes for producers and traders were modest at ZAR 2,000 and ZAR 1,000 respectively (ZAR=South African Rand), although some were earning considerably more. While unlikely to provide a way out of poverty, the trade was critical in allowing diversification and in providing a safety net, assisting poor households to overcome adversity, meet several basic needs, and educate their children.
TL;DR: A method is developed in which reflectance (an optical property applied in coal technology to determine coal rank) is used to measure the carbonization temperature, and in turn the shrinkage can be calculated, and shows that the Yarnell single correction factor may bias the dimensions towards classifications of “wild” or “ruderal” forms of sunflower.
Abstract: When analyzing sunflower (Helianthus annuus L.) remains, which are often carbonized, archaeobotanists commonly differentiate between wild and domesticated achenes and seeds based on the measured length (L) and width (W) or the calculated index L*W. Carbonization reduces the dimensions. To compensate for these reductions, archaeobotanists use a single correction factor proposed by Richard Yarnell (1978) for all cases. The use of a single correction factor can bias the reconstructed dimensions as carbonization is a highly variable process. The current study determines the relationship between carbonization and the dimensions of length and width. Measurements established that a decrease of 2.5–22.5% in achene length and 10–29% in achene width can occur, depending on temperature, heating rate, and variety. For seeds, temperature is of most importance, and shrinkage ranges from 0–27% for the length and from 0–20% for the width. These ranges make the use of a single correction factor problematic. A met...
TL;DR: The greater morphological diversity of plants from Yunnan and Laos, as compared to Nepal, suggests domestication in the former region, and Benincasa hispida is prominent in some traditional stories and rituals.
Abstract: Benincasa hispida, from tropical Asia, is cultivated primarily for its edible fruit. To explore its domestication and ethnobotany, we made collections from two regions where it may have been domesticated: (1) Southern China/Southeast Asia, represented by southern Yunnan Province (China) and northern Laos; and (2) the Indian subcontinent, represented by southeastern Nepal. Domestication has resulted in diverse fruit sizes, shapes, and colors; seed sizes and shapes; and, in some accessions, the loss of tendrils. Modern cultivars have larger fruit, earlier flowers, and lower nutritional content than traditional cultivars. Allozyme diversity was low, divergence between these two regions was low, and these results do not clarify the place of domestication. The greater morphological diversity of plants from Yunnan and Laos, as compared to Nepal, suggests domestication in the former region. In all accessions, male flowers precede females. Benincasa hispida is prominent in some traditional stories and rituals.