Crop Wild Relatives for sustainable agriculture
On 14 November, during the open day organised by Smarties.bio (in the province of Venice, Italy), visitors will be able to tour the farm structures and learn about the different stages and techniques involved in production. With Professor Ferdinando Branca (University...
Field monitoring of Brassica rupestris populations in the Palermo area
On October 15th, 2025, the UNICT research team carried out a collection mission along Palermo and Trapani provinces (Caltavuturo, Sclafani Bagni and Castellammare del Golfo) to monitor three B. rupestris populations, one of the five Brassica wild relatives...
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 identify...
Presenting policy pathways for CWRs at the 18th International Conference of the Hellenic Association of Agricultural Economists
Excited to share that the COUSIN project work titled "Policy Pathways for the Integration of Crop Wild Relatives (CWRs) in Sustainable Agriculture" was presented by AUTH partners at the 18th International Conference of the Hellenic Association of Agricultural...
COUSIN at the Innovation conference in the agri-food sector of Catalonia
Laura Botigué, PhD and Group Leader of Plant and Animal Genomics Program (CRAG, Centre for Research in Agricultural Genomics) was invited to attend a round table entitled "disruptive agri-food research projects", organised by the Catalan government to talk about...
The article in the Spanish magazine “Revista Campo” on powdery mildew in legumes
The article "El oidio en las leguminosas" ("Powdery mildew in legumes") , written by Jiménez-Vaquero M.A., Cobos M.J., and Rubiales D., has been published in the issue 117 of the Spanish magazine "Revista Campo".
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 understanding...
Ongoing efforts to document biodiversity in the Brassica oleracea Complex Species (n=9) for Cole Crop genetic improvement.
Southern Italy is a hotspot of Brassica biodiversity, where wild and cultivated species have long intermingled to produce unique crop varieties. Through the COUSIN project, researchers are studying these wild populations—especially in Sicily—and taking urgent conservation action to protect rare endemics like Brassica trichocarpa, now facing critical extinction risk.
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.
Exploring Wild Barley Genes to Improve Stress Resilience: updates from the Barley Working Group
Barley is one of the world’s oldest and most widely grown crops, yet its wild relatives still hold valuable untapped genetic diversity. The COUSIN project is investigating how crosses between cultivated barley and its wild ancestor can enhance traits like stress tolerance and adaptability. Promising results are emerging from both the field and lab.
COUSIN project presentation at the 15th National Conference on Biodiversity and the 2nd International Conference on Mediterranean Biodiversity
In June 2025, in Perugia (Italy) the COUSIN project, along with his sister project (PROWILD), was presented at the 15th National Conference on Biodiversity and the 2nd International Conference on Mediterranean Biodiversity. The event was organized by the Department of...
gzpk demonstrated CWRs at the annual training of organic breeders
On 24 and 25 June 2025, GZPK organized a workshop about wheat CWRs in the frame of a professional training for organic breeders. Some wheat Crop Wild Relatives and the wheat populations provided by FiBL have been demonstrated to the participants. (the photo shows the...
Dissemination and dialogue opportunities: COUSIN’s presence at 2025 Conferences
In the first half of 2025, COUSIN project partners actively participated in several international conferences to share project outcomes and contribute to the ongoing discussion on crop wild relatives, agrobiodiversity, and sustainable food systems: SILS Webinar:...
Bachelor students visit field trial with crop wild relatives
Nine bachelor students (2nd year students) and one teacher from Aarhus University visited Nordic Seed A/S on Monday the 19th May 2025. The trip is part of their course on breeding and genetics. Among other input the group had a bus trip to see the COUSIN field trial...
Engaging Students: Citizen Science and the Conservation of Crop Wild Relatives
The Cousin Project recently launched a Citizen Science initiative aimed at schools, with the goal of engage students and volunteers in collecting data on Crop Wild Relatives (CWRs) and promote a deeper understanding of biodiversity and sustainable agricultural...