INCREASE Conference Showcases the Power of Pulses for Agrobiodiversity
On 23rd September 2025, the Faculty of Agriculture of the University of Agriculture and Veterinary Medicine Science (USAMV) Bucharest, Romania, hosted the INCREASE conference “Pulses: Bringing Diversity to Agrifood Systems”, highlighting the role of pulses in sustainable farming, nutrition and cultural heritage and open to everyone interested in the topic.
Opening remarks from Florin Stanică of USAMV and Creola Brezeanu of VRDS Bacău set the stage for a day of scientific exchange. Roberto Papa of the Università Politecnica delle Marche, coordinator of the INCREASE project, presented the project’s achievements in genomics, digital tools and citizen science for conserving pulse diversity.
Speakers from across Romania and Europe, representing the INCREASE Stakeholder Consortium, showcased the impact of beans and chickpeas on both research and tradition: Neculai Munteanu of USV Iaşi, emphasised the history and current role of Phaseolus beans in Romania. Petronela Savin of UBC shared research on the culinary heritage of Bacău County, presenting traditional bean-based recipes documented through the eCULTFOOD platform. Denisa Duță of the National Institute of Research and Development for Food Bioresources IBA presented insights into the nutritional potential of chickpeas, exploring their protein, fiber and market potential. Dan Șandru of the Vegetal Genetic Resources Bank "Mihai Cristea" Suceava reflected on the current state of traditional cultivars in Romanian villages. Cătălin Popescu of Ecosystem Factory, an agricultural cooperative, provided an insightful farmer’s perspective on chickpea cultivation in Romania. Tim Vleugels of ILVO introduced KickChick, a project aimed at kickstarting chickpea cropping through optimised techniques and adapted varieties.
The programme also featured the INCREASE Citizen Science Experiment (CSE), presented by Roberto Papa and Kerstin Neumann of IPK Gaterleben. Adriano Mancini of UNIVPM provided insights into the implementation of AI tools for the analyses of the gathered CSE data and Eugenia Marè of ANCESCAO shared experiences from the Ancescao garden areas in Parma, where citizen participation actively supports pulses cultivation.
Henrik Schumann of University of Bonn presented comparative phenotyping results of American and European Phaseolus bean genotypes from the SmartBeans project.
Closing remarks by Creola Brezeanu and Roberto Papa, together with updates from Sandra Goritschnig of ECPGR on EVA Boost, focusing on exploiting INCREASE germplasm within the EVA Legumes initiative, reaffirmed the importance of collaboration across science, farming and citizens. The INCREASE Stakeholder Consortium continues to facilitate this collaboration and exchange.
