ARS | Publication request: ACQUISITION AND NEW CROP DEVELOPMENT OF LESQUERELLA AND PHYSARIA GERMPLASM FROM THE U.S. AND MEXICO

Submitted to: Society for Economic Botany Annual Meeting
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: May 1, 2003
Publication Date: June 5, 2003
Citation: Salywon, A.M., Dierig, D.A., Rodriguez, D., Rebman, J.P. 2003. Acquisition and new crop development of lesquerella and physaria germplasm from the U.S. and Mexico. Society for Economic Botany Annual Meeting. p. 36.

Technical Abstract: Lesquerella is a new industrial oilseed crop for hydroxy fatty acids (HFA) being developed by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), universities, and industry. The current source of HFA is ricinoleic acid from castor (Ricinus communis L.), which is imported. HFA have utility in various boibased lubricants, 2-cycle engine oil, biodiesel fuel, nylon-11, coatings, and cosmetics. Novel properties of lesquerella oil could allow other markets to develop. Lesquerella is native to the U.S. and Mexico with a few species in South American. There are about 100 species of Lesquerella and 24 species of the related genus Physaia. Few accessions of Lesquerella species were available in the National Plant Germplasm System (NPGS) when domestication efforts began. Therefore, seed collection of wild germplasm from throughout North America was initiated in 1993. Seeds collected were analyzed for fatty acid profile, oil content, and seed weight, then added to the plant breeding working collection at USDA and to the NPGS. Over 300 new accessions (50 Lesquerella and 24 Physaria species) were collected. Lesquerella fendleri is the most productive in seed yields and, hence, was the species chosen for domestication. Many valuable traits were identified to help develop lesquerella as a new industrial crop.