Neutraweed returns to its roots at Cornell University!

The concept of Neutral Weed Communities (communities of weeds that coexist with crops without reducing yield and quality) was developed at Cornell University in the United States, at the Prof. Toni Di Tommaso's Weed Ecology and Management Laboratory.

From that initial research, which Marco Esposito led as a PhD student, Neutraweed was born: the project he conceived and coordinated as a researcher at the Sant'Anna School of Advanced Studies. Funded by the European Union, Neutraweed involves 15 international partners and research sites in 9 countries on 5 continents.

From April to September 2025, Marco returned to Cornell to continue his scientific activities in collaboration with Professors Toni DiTommaso (weed ecologist) and Clare Casteel (microbiologist), in the same place where he took his first steps in his academic career. 

Having recently returned to the Sant'Anna School of Advanced Studies, he is now analysing the data collected and will soon share the results of this intense work, the fruit of his collaboration with US colleagues.

Stay tuned to find out the latest developments in research on neutral weed communities!