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ARS Home » Midwest Area » Peoria, Illinois » National Center for Agricultural Utilization Research » Bio-oils Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #336550
Research Project: Replacement of Petroleum Products Utilizing Off-Season Rotational Crops

Location: Bio-oils Research

Title: Registration of Elizabeth Thlaspi arvense L. (Pennycress) with improved nondormant traits

Author
item Isbell, Terry
item Cermak, Steven - Steve
item MAREK, LAURA - Iowa State University

Submitted to: Journal of Plant Registrations
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 3/16/2017
Publication Date: 6/29/2017
Citation: Isbell, T.A., Cermak, S.C., Marek, L.F. 2017. Registration of Elizabeth Thlaspi arvense L. (Pennycress) with improved nondormant traits. Journal of Plant Registrations. doi: 10.3198/jpr2016.12.0073crg.

Interpretive Summary: Elizabeth (PI 677360) Pennycress (Thlaspi arvense), a newly developed cultivar, was publicly released by the USDA, Agricultural Research Service, in 2016 as part of a new crop improvement program. Elizabeth was developed by selection from 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 (Beecher) was 0% in the presence of light and 7% in an all dark treatment. Elizabeth seeds had a germination rate as high as 94% when grown under the same conditions as the Beecher seeds in the presence of light and 98% in all dark treatment. This new cultivar will improve stand establishment of the crop and help alleviate the potential of pennycress to develop a seed bank in the soil by promoting the germination of seed spilled at harvest to grow and die under the canopy of the subsequent soybean crop where it should not be capable of competing. In addition, development of this crop will improve the economics of corn and soybean production by providing an off-season cash crop when the land is normally fallow.

Technical Abstract: Elizabeth pennycress (Thlaspi arvense L.) germplasm (Reg. No. GP-36, PI 677360) was publicly released by the USDA-ARS in 2016 for the improvement of Thlaspi germplasm. Elizabeth was developed by four 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 3.2 km north of Hanna City, IL. The germination rate of original, freshly harvested Beecher seed under conditions of 12 h light/dark cycles at 27.5 deg. C/11.5 deg. C was 0%, and seeds kept in continuous dark under otherwise identical conditions germinated at 7%. Freshly harvested Elizabeth S4 seeds had a germination rate of 98% in continuous dark and 94% under the 12 h light/dark 27.5 deg. C/11.5 deg. C conditions.