Università di Catania – UNICT

The University of Catania (UNICT) offer a strong and ever-growing international orientation and community, and the Department of Agriculture, Food and Environment (Di3A) dealing with the sustainable use and management of natural and growing ecosystems, such as for vegetable, aromatic and medicinal plants, conserving and exploiting their genetic resources for improving nature-based food chains.

In Cousin they are leaders of one of the 5 flagship crops of the project, Brassica, and specifically have activities distributed in the following Workpackages:

WP3: Trait characterization of CWRs and pre-breeding germplasm​:

Task 3.1: Assessing CWR biotic and abiotic stress resilience (Xanthomonas campestris pv. campestris, drought)​
Task 3.2: Characterizing CWR benefits in crop management (biofumigation against nematodes)​
Task 3.3: Bioprospecting the nutritional and health value of CWR (novel foods, functional foods)​
Task 3.4: Unravel the genetic basis of valuable CWR functional traits, including the CWR ecotype (glucosinolate pathways)​Task 3.5: Exploring the microbiome as a tool to enhance crop performance predictions (in situ, on farm)​

WP4: Implementing CWRs in breeding/farming
Task 4.1: Generate selection toolboxes for each flagship crop for use of CWR in breeding activities​
Task 4.2: Implement CWR genetic resources and tools for their use in (pre)-breeding programmes of the five flagship crops across Europe​