Variation in agronomic characteristics and seed oil composition of new oilseed crops in central Italy

The following new potential oilseed crops for industrial uses have been considered for agronomic traits and seed oil composition during a 3 year trial in Central Italy: Calendula officinalis (calendic acid); Camelina sativa and Lepidium sativum (linolenic acid); Coriandrum sativum (petroselinic acid); Euphorbia lagascae and Vernonia galamensis (epoxy fatty acids); Madia sativa (linoleic acid); Lesquerella fendleri (hydroxy fatty acids). Agronomic characteristics were examined in replicated field trials and phenological and morphological assessments were made. Seed oil content was determined by the Soxhlet method. Fatty acids were determined by gas liquid chromatography after transesterification to the methyl esters. A range of variation within most species was established for genetic differences in such traits as date of flowering, plant height, seed yield and oil percentage. Mean oil content in Camelina sativa, Lepidium sativum, Madia sativa and Coriandrum sativum was also influenced by the climatic conditions occurring in the different years, decreasing in the driest seasons. Some species (Coriandrum sativum, Madia sativa, Vernonia galamensis, Euphorbia lagascae and Lesquerella fendleri) produced high levels (more than 50%) of a single fatty acid in their seeds. This finding is favourable for industrial uses by minimising dowstream processing costs. On the other hand, other species (Lepidium sativum, Camelina sativa, Calendula officinalis) contained a mixture of fatty acids in their seeds. Some of these species showed good agronomic traits, including tolerance to drought and to high temperature, making them potentially suitable for cultivation in the Mediterranean area. For most of them, further breeding work should be directed towards increasing seed oil content and eliminating certain wild characteristics such as fruit dehiscence.