Screening for European productions of oilseed with unusual fatty acids

Abstract

In a search for new potential oilseed crops, 7 species out of 53 studied showed adequate agronomic performance for economical production of seed oils with unusual fatty acids. These species were Calendula officinalis for conjugated fatty acids, Dimorphotheca pluvialis for hydroxy fatty acids, Euphorbia lagascae for epoxy fatty acids, Crepis alpina for acetylenic fatty acids, Coriandrum sativum and Foeniculum vulgare for Delta 6,7 monoenoic fatty acids and Lunaria annua for long chain fatty acids. In general, C. officinalis and C. sativum were best adapted to the growing conditions in Gottingen. For their 1st agronomic introduction existing cv. appeared to be adequate without further breeding efforts. Their mechanical sowing and harvest gave no problems and their seed retention was satisfactory for obtaining high seed yields. In D. pluvialis and E. lagascae seed production was also high, but because of extensive seed shattering only low plot yields were reached. Seed retention and growth habit were excellent in C. alpina but the small size and the widespread pappus of the seed interfered considerably with mechanical sowing and harvesting. Maturity of F. vulgare was too late when sown in spring. In L. annua only an annual mutant was able to produce good plot yields when sown in late summer. The other 46 species tested in Gottingen in 1983-85 did not show promise as new agricultural oil crops. In many cases, low seed wt and effective seed dispersal resulted in low seed yields, and indeterminate growth and fruiting limited their agronomic adaptation to modern cultivation methods.