During July 2026, Prof. Ferdinando Branca, Prof. of Vegetable and Flower Crops at the Dipartimento di Agricoltura, Alimentazione e Ambiente (Di3A) of the University of Catania, met on the 13th of July at the NPEC with Dr. Rick van Zedde, for visiting the phenotyping...
Modern crops have lost valuable genetic diversity through domestication, while crop wild relatives (CWRs) retain traits important for resilience and adaptation. The COUSIN Project provides high-quality genomic resources and maps for multiple CWR species, enabling the identification of beneficial genes and supporting their targeted introgression into modern crops to accelerate breeding for improved performance and resistance.
Crop wild relatives (CWRs) and CWR-derived materials from barley, wheat, pea and lettuce offer underused potential for innovative food product development. The COUSIN Project demonstrates how these resources can be incorporated into a range of food applications, supporting the creation of more diverse, nutritious and sustainable food systems.
The third COUSIN Annual Meeting took place from 25 to 27 May in Scandicci, Italy, and was hosted by the project partner Rete Semi Rurali. The event brought together representatives from across the consortium to review project achievements, exchange knowledge, and...
On February 25, 2025, the COUSIN project was presented by the University of Catania (UNICT) during a study day dedicated to the management and use of plant and microbial germplasm collections, hosted by the Accademia dei Georgofili in Florence. The conference...
On Jenuary 23th, the scientific journal CABI Agriculture and Bioscience published an article written by Gresheen Garcia, Donata Arena, Hajer Ben Ammar, Victor Manuel Rodriguez, Pablo Velasco, and Ferdinando Branca entitled "Enhancing nutraceutical traits...
Despite the bad weather that was raging in the rest of Sicily, the beautiful island of Favignana and its inhabitants welcomed with open arms the staff of Rete Semi Rurali, University of Catania, and Juan Carlos University of Madrid, all partners in the COUSIN project,...
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 their...
On the 14th of November 2025, participants of the Smarties.bio seed company Open Day had the valuable opportunity, after visiting the company’s production fields, to closely observe the brassica populations developed within the COUSIN project. The visit was guided by...
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...
