Brassica napus , Rapeseed, Canola
Brassica napus is an oilseed crop that has a history of cropping in Europe. Recent interest in breeding Brassica napus in Canada has resulted in the prevalence of Canola oil for cooking. Nomenclature variations regarding Rapeseed (industrial) and Canola (cooking) oil refers to the specific oil profile.
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Camelina sativa, Falseflax, Gold of Pleasure
Camelina is an annual or winter annual oilseed plant. Camelina's cropping history is tied to Europe where it was routinely grown before the 1950's. With a relatively short growing season of 85-100 days, Camelina can be useful as a Winter or Spring crop in rotation with Summer crops.
Some of Camelina oil's uses are paints and cosmetics. Current research is being done to determine how the oil compares to oilseed rape or canola for biodiesel production. The resulting press meal can be used in animal feeds.
Helianthus annuus , Sunflower
Sunflower is one of the few crop species that are native to North America. Original domestication was likely done by American Indian tribes along trading and hunting routes. It is cultivated for use as a snack food, for bird feed, and is one of the primary sources of edible oils. Some sunflower varieties have an oil profile that make them good candidates for industrial uses.
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Hibiscus cannabinus , Kenaf
Kenaf is a plant that has been harvested for fiber for thousands of years in Africa and Asia. Traditional uses for kenaf fibers are textile and cordage production. A more recent application for kenaf fibers is as a pulping raw material for paper production. Plants can attain heights of 8-20 feet.
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Linum usitatissimum, Flax
Flax production has been traced to ancient sites in Europe and Egypt where the fibers were used to produce some of the finest fabrics and the seed oil was prized for its preservative value as a drying oil. In more recent times, flax was an important crop in the early American agricultural economy, being produced in nearly every Eastern state. After the advent of modern petroleum production and widespread adoption of mechanized cotton ginning, flax acreage saw a decline. Flax production is currently limited to North Dakota and Minnesota production markets. more»
Miscanthus x giganteus, Giant Miscanthus
Miscanthus is a perennial grass with Asian origins that is grown as an ornamental and as a biomass crop for energy production. It has a high growth rate of over nine feet per year. Miscanthus has the added benefit of reducing erosion and replenishing humus in the topsoil. Two to three years are required for a full stand establishment, but once planted, a Miscanthus field can remain harvestable for at least fifteen years. Varieties of Giant Miscanthus selected for biomass production spread naturally through underground rhizomes, but slow rhizome spread and lack of seed production in southeastern latitudes means that there is little risk of Miscanthus biomass varieties becoming invasive.
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Panicum virgatum , Switchgrass
Switchgrass is a warm season perennial grass that is native to North America. It has an extensive root system and can reach heights up to 10 feet. After establishment, switchgrass can be harvested for the next 10 to 20 years. Even though switchgrass competes strongly with weeds within the stand, it is not considered an invasive plant.
Switchgrass is useful for both forage and cellulosic ethanol production. It also has a growth structure within the field that provides healthy wildlife habitat.
Pennisetum blaucum, Pearl Millet
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Ricinus communis , Castor
Castor bean plant cultivation dates back thousands of years, and ancient Egyptians used castor oil as a lamp oil. The seed oil has been used for many high performance applications. Castor seeds, leaves, and stems contain the toxic compounds ricin and ricinine which affects both humans and animals. These poisons are not found in the oil.
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Sorghum, Sweet Sorghum
Sorghum is a crop that is native to Africa. In most cases, it is an annual crop. Sorghum is cultivated for grain, fodder and sugary stalk pressings. It is well adapted to a variety of soils, and has an extensive root system which makes it a solid performer in areas where rainfall amounts are uncertain.
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Sorghum, Biomass Sorghum
Sorghum has recently become a desirable biomass crop since sorghums require 1/3 to 1/2 less water than comparable crops, and are well adapted to a variety of areas. Also, breeding programs have improved crop quality. Biomass type sorghums include traditional forage sorghums, sudangrass, and newer sorghum-sudangrass hybrids.
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