Vernonia now has more potential as an industrial oilseed crop because ARS researchers have discovered how to breed varieties that will hold on to more of the seed until harvest. Vernonia oil might be used in environmentally friendly drying agents in paints. The industry wants alternatives to today's volatile organic compounds that are irritants and airborne contaminants. Unfortunately, vernonia's commercial development has been crippled because available varieties shed too many seeds. Last fall, ARS scientists discovered that some vernonia plants possess a petal-like device that holds the seeds upright. These plants retained more seeds. Scientists will cross-breed these plants this summer. This will reinforce the seed-holding trait and is the next step to higher yielding commercial varieties. The content of epoxy oils in vernonia, up to 40 percent, is double that of most other oilseeds like soybean and linseed. Vernonia oil also might be used in manufacturing more flexible plastics and in other resins like varnish.
U.S. Water Conservation Laboratory, Phoenix, AZ
David A. Dierig, (602) 379-4356, ddierig@uswcl.ars.ag.gov

A procedure known as high-volume instrumentation is the cotton industry's standard tool for determining the length, strength and natural color of cotton. Adding another process--called near- infrared spectroscopy (NIR)--could also reveal bulk maturity, a characteristic that's key to how well the cotton will take dye. Dye imperfections cost the U.S. cotton industry approximately $200 million annually. NIR uses light wavelengths that the human eye can't see to detect otherwise invisible fiber qualities. NIR failed to win industry acceptance in the past because of shortcomings in speed and accuracy. Now researchers have improved the mechanical design. One improvement: The new system uses a larger cotton sample pressed against a bigger glass plate, where the light waves shoot through the fiber. The bigger sample helps reduce measurement errors. Also, the mathematical equations used to analyze the NIR readings have been fine-tuned. In tests, the improved NIR analysis showed less than 2 percent error in its ability to predict cotton maturity.
Southern Regional Research Center, New Orleans, LA
Joe Montalvo, (504) 286-4249

Last Updated: April 25, 1997
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