To secure the future of global wheat production against the growing threats of climate change and evolving agricultural diseases, researchers at HUN-REN Centre for Agricultural Research (ATK) have announced significant breakthroughs in crop wild relative (CWR)...
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.
A pilot cultivation of Kernza® in Spain assessed the potential of this perennial grain under Mediterranean conditions. The COUSIN Project documents key agronomic lessons on establishment, crop management, and adaptation, providing practical guidance to support future field trials and the wider adoption of resilient perennial cropping 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...
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...
The article "DArTseq genotyping facilitates identification of Aegilops biuncialis chromatin introgressed into bread wheat Mv9kr1. Plant Mol Biol" was published in Springer Nature - Volume 114, article number 122, (2024). The autors of the article are Eszter Gaál,...
The article "Genotyping-by-sequencing uncovers a Thinopyrum 4StS·1JvsS Robertsonian translocation linked to multiple stress tolerances in bread wheat" written by written by Kruppa, K., Türkösi, E., Holušová, K. et al. was published in Springer Nature, Volume 138,...
Wheat is fundamental to Europes food supply, but challenges such as demands to reduce pesticides and fertilizers, along with more unpredictable weather patterns, have made it more difficult to achieve high, consistent yields and maintain flour quality
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...
