British Expat Forum

This looks as if it would be right up Clarkie's street:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/4176417.stm

You're aye ahead of me, Kay, but for once, nae as far ahead as usual

I found this during a bona fide search for "Shetland Black".

Shetland Black and Highland Burgundy Red are two lost varieties, which to the best of my knowledge are only available as micro-propagated plants.

I bought micro-propagated plants of these varieties two years ago, nursed them to maturity, saved seed, and this coming season I hope to have a decent crop.

All of which would make a good piece for Clark in the Park.

Gee, thanks for stealing my thunder, you hard-nosed, incorrigible journo, you

Mike

Sorry, pal. Ah hid nae idea fit ye git up tae in secret in yer shed.

I have no idea what micro-propogated is.

Fit is't?

Ah wis jist deein ma best.

Bl**dy teuchters!

I don't believe you, and I think you're winding me up

Fitivver, rare vegetable varieties (and indeed species and cultivars of all plants threatened by extinction) are kept and maintained, mostly by public donation, at Kew Gardens, the Royal Horticultural Society at its various locations, and the HDRA.

In many cases, there are so few potential parent plants still extant that propagation by seed (or tubers in the case of potatoes) is unrealistic.

Hence, plants are propagated in the laboratory using tissue culture. One shoot, using tissue or cell culture, can produce hundreds (even thousands) of young plants.

This is nothing to do with cloning, GM, or Dolly-the-dead-Sheep. This is vegetative propagation, like taking cuttings, but at a micro level.

Micro propagation is good for keeping alive the vegetable varieties we spat out as kids, but it is far more important in preserving plants - many of which are very important medicinally - which are being lost throughout the globe courtesy of human raptors.


You did ask

Mike

Mike, your knowledge of your subject is incredible. I aspire to be an expert like you, in my own subject, one day.

No jokes. I don't mess around with those people I respect. Banter is fine but definitely no p*ss taking.

I just find it hard to understand why you're not more famous, and not more sought after by the media.

My only answer to that is that they're looking for "gurus" these day. I've seen it happen a lot. If you're the "guru" in your field, you get trundled out for a quote every time the media wants one.

Who cares about the reality of the issue, we've got some news and we've got a quote.

Am I wrong?

Please don't start me on media gurus.

It's bad enough in the national/international media.

But Grumpian TV use clips of members of the public, carefully edited, again and again, to support the current news item.

Then there's Professor Huge Pennington, trundled out for a quick sound bite, whether it's MRSA, the Cod Stocks, Foot and Mouth, BSE, national obesity, smoking in public places . . . .

Real people rarely get a word in.

Good luck to the gurus - I have nothing against them.

It's the media I despise.

Mike

Hey Mike
you forgot to give IPGRI a mention, I might sulk. What do you know about various methods of measuring agrobiodiversity, make my job easier.
Ron

C'mon, Ron. I know my limitations.

Mike

Mibbe's aye, but I dinnae

I've managed to get some tatties into the ground here - and my uncle was kind enough to send me some 'Ashleaf', which he says is another lost variety. Fingers crossed they grow all right. Only 6 seed potatoes in my parents' hand luggae, but I'm hoping it'll get the ball rolling.