Pea
Pisum sativum
Pea is the major pulse crop in Europe in terms of cropping area and economic importance. Current yield limitations of this leguminous protein crop are caused by disease pressure and climate change leading to enhanced drought and heath exposure. Another reason for choosing pea as a flagship crop is the current lack of local availability of high-quality plant proteins, which is fuelling long-distance imports from abroad to fulfil the demand for industrial animal feeds and human food
Lead by CSIC
Pea Flagship crops News
Cultivating Biodiversity: Educational Garden Planting at San Martín School with APRISCO
COUSIN partner Aprisco planted this academic year’s educational garden at San Martín School (Garganta la Olla), a partner in the “Farmland biodiversity for rural wellbeing” living lab. The same approach was followed as last year's garden, focusing on legumes and...
Postdoctoral researchers discuss Crop Wild Relatives in Denmark
On 11 September 2025, a group of eight postdoctoral researchers from the University of Aarhus, Denmark visited Nordic Seed to learn more about our ongoing scientific projects and breeding programs. The COUSIN project and the efforts of the Danish partner to...
Identification of sources of resistance to Aphanomyces Roor Rot in Pisum
The article "Identification of sources of resistance to Aphanomyces Roor Rot in Pisum" written by Sara Rodriguez-Mena, Diego Rubiales and Mario González (Institute for Sustainable Agriculture,CISIC) was published in Plant 2024, 13 (17). Abstract Aphanomyces root...
8 – Characterisation and use of wild relatives in pea breeding
CWRs of pea, including Pisum fulvum, provide essential traits such as resistance to broomrape and powdery mildew. The COUSIN Project supports the development and distribution of CWR-derived cultivars and breeding populations, enhancing pea resilience under Mediterranean and other challenging farming conditions.
Unlocking the potential of Wild Crops: new progress in the COUSIN Project
Crop Wild Relatives (CWRs) carry genetic traits for resilience, productivity, and nutrition and could play a key role in the agroecological transition of European food systems. In its first 18 months, the COUSIN project is making strong progress towards...
Harnessing Wild Pea Relatives to Build Resilient Cultivars: updates from the Pea Working Group
IAS-CSIC is leading a long-term pea pre-breeding program aimed at improving resistance to major pests and diseases in Mediterranean farming systems. Starting from wild relatives like Pisum fulvum, the program has made significant advances in developing productive and resilient cultivars.
The Cousin project begins. The news from the Spanish National Research Council (CSIC)
The COUSIN project brings together 26 partners from 13 countries who will work on the use of crop wild relatives, using five flagship crops. The Department of Genetic Improvement of the Institute of Sustainable Agriculture (IAS) of the Spanish National...
