Development of a non-dormant germplasm from Thlaspi Arvense (Pennycress)

Authors: Isbell, Terry; MAREK, LAURA - Iowa State University; Dierig, David; Cermak, Steven - Steve

Submitted to: Association for the Advancement of Industrial Crops Conference
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: 8/27/2015
Publication Date: 10/18/2015
Citation: Isbell, T.A., Marek, L., Dierig, D.A., Cermak, S.C. 2015. Development of a non-dormant germplasm from Thlaspi Arvense (Pennycress) [abstract]. Association for the Advancement of Industrial Crops Annual Meeting. p. 17.

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: Pennycress is being developed as an off-season rotation crop between annual corn and soybean production. This rotation scheme may offer distinct advantages to farmers by providing additional farm income from an otherwise fallow season with little impact on the subsequent soybean production. The seed contains up to 36% oil with the major fatty acid as erucic (36.6%). Freshly harvested pennycress seed suffers from a dormancy issue where a post harvest maturation period can take up to 15 months before seeds reach maximum viability near 90%. In addition, pennycress seed has been shown to remain viable in the soil up to 40 years. Two germplasm lines (Katelyn, PI 673443) and Elizabeth (Ames 32908) with improved germination rates were developed from the wild population, Beecher (PI 672505). Katelyn was developed by two generations of mass selection based on the germination response of freshly harvested pennycress seeds. The original seed source was the wild population Beecher (PI 672505) collected from a winter fallow cornfield 2 miles north of Hanna City, IL. The germination rate of the original parent seed under conditions of 12 h light/dark cycles at 27.5 deg C/11.5 deg C was 0%. Seeds kept in the dark under otherwise identical conditions germinated at 7% compared to Katelyn S2 seeds which had an immediate post harvest germination rate of 91% for seeds kept in the dark and 9% under the 12 h light/dark 27.5 deg C/11.5 deg C conditions. Elizabeth was selected from the segregating Katelyn S1 germplasm where seeds were observed to germinate under the 12 h light/dark 27.5 deg C/11.5 deg C conditions. Two more self generations were conducted by selecting only seeds that germinated in the 12 h light/dark treatment which yielded the Elizabeth S3 germplasm and had an immediate post harvest germination rate of 94% in the 12h light/dark and 97% in an all dark germination tests, respectively. This non-dormant germplasm will provide growers with seed that can germinate immediately post harvest at high rates and provide better stand establishment in fall planted fields. In addition, any seed that is lost during harvest will germinate immediately and the young plants will die under the developing soybean canopy where pennycress cannot compete. As a result, the soil seed bank of pennycress will be diminished along with one of the weedy characteristics of pennycress.