2004 Annual Report 1.What major problem or issue is being resolved and how are you resolving it (summarize project aims and objectives)? How serious is the problem? What does it matter? Development of new/alternative industrial crops is needed to improve the economic status of the U. S. farmer, reduce crop surpluses, improve the balance of payments, and decrease dependence on imports of strategic raw materials. The U. S. imports over 100 million dollars worth of castor oil each year for use in lubricants, cosmetics, plasticizers, protective coatings, surfactants, and pharmaceuticals, and one billion dollars each year importing Hevea rubber/latex for use in making natural latex and rubber products. Lesquerella oil could replace castor oil for many of these uses as well as be used in other products for which castor oil is not suited. Several novel properties set lesquerella oil apart from castor and other seed oils. Guayule is the only other known plant besides Hevea that produces significant amounts of natural rubber/latex. More importantly, many people have become allergic to Hevea rubber/latex products. Use of guayule latex would provide a hypoallergenic source of natural latex for products such as medical catheters, gloves, condoms, etc. Another benefit of guayule is that the resin has pesticidal properties. The waste residue after latex extraction can be made into construction materials that have termite and wood rot resistance, and/or the resin can be extracted and impregnated into other wood products to give them termite and wood rot resistance. Termite control and repair of termite damaged buildings costs the US over a billion dollars a year. The guayule bagasse also has potential as a biofuel source. The four objectives for the project are: (1) acquire, evaluate, and enhance germplasm of guayule, lesquerella, and other promising species for developing new/alternative industrial crops; (2) develop economical production systems for new/alternative industrial crops; (3) develop value added coproducts, improved analytical methods for traits such as latex, rubber, resin, oil, glucosinolate, estolide, and fatty acid contents, and post harvest storage methods for new industrial crops, and (4) develop improved germplasm for low input, high yielding, cost-competitive oilseed and biomass crops as bio-fuels and other biobased products that are environmentally sound alternatives to petroleum-based products. The research to be undertaken falls under National Program 301 Problem Area II b - Genetic Improvement. Germplasm will be collected, evaluated, and enhanced so that new/alternative crops can be developed and grown to produce an economic yield. The research is relevant to National Program 306 Problem Area II a - Quality and Utilization of Agricultural Products. The methods and products developed with cooperators will lead to new uses and products. The CRIS also has relevance to National Program 305 Problem Area I c - Sustainable Cropping Systems, and National Program 307 II - Biodiesel. The development of new/alternative crops will reduce the dependence of the U. S. on imports of raw materials such as natural rubber/latex and castor oil. Guayule, lesquerella, and other potential new/alternative crops such as oilseeds from the mustard family can provide sources of raw materials needed to make biofuels and other bioenergy products, thus reducing our dependence on petroleum imports and providing renewable energy sources. Results from these studies will provide germplasm, production systems, and products from new crops that will diversify the crops being produced in the U.S. and enhance the rural economy. 2.List the milestones (indicators of progress) from your Project Plan. YEAR 1 (FY 2004) OBJECTIVE 1 Guayule: Publish genotype x environment effects on guayule growth and regrowth, and latex content. Lesquerella: Complete evaluation of recent lesquerella collections from Oklahoma and salt tolerant germplasm from cooperative studies in Texas and Mexico. Produce additional F1 hybrids between L. fendleri and high hydroxy fatty acid species, and M1 generation with ethyl methyl sulfate hydroxy fatty acid mutants of L. fendleri. OBJECTIVE 2 Lesquerella: Complete growth chamber studies on the environmental effects on seed production and determination of growing degree days for lesquerella. Obtain Special Local Needs permit for herbicide for grass control and dessication in lesquerella. Complete irrigation study on a production field. OBJECTIVE 3 Initiate experiments on resins, composite boards, and fuel pellets. OBJECTIVE 4 Complete initial evaluation of candidate species for use as biofuels. YEAR 2 (FY 2005) OBJECTIVE 1 Lesquerella: Release new germplasm line with 32% oil content, complete additional germplasm collections in Mexico, and develop high glucosinolate germplasm. Guayule: Initiate collections of new and lost accessions in U.S. and Mexico. OBJECTIVE 2 Lesquerella and Guayule: Obtain data needed for herbicide permits. Update Growers Guide for Lesquerella. OBJECTIVE 3 Guayule: Develop CRADA¿s for evaluation of composite boards, wood treated with guayule resins, and wood pellets for use as biofuel. Lesquerella: Analyze hybrid lesquerella plants for estolide content and select for further development. OBJECTIVE 4 Select and evaluate germplasm for high glucosinolate and/or oil content, initiate crossing program for enhanced germplasm. YEAR 3 (FY 2006) OBJECTIVE 1 Lesquerella: Complete additional germplasm collections from southeastern U.S., selection of plants from F2 and F3 generations for high hydroxy fatty acids, analyses of M2 plants, and release mutant lines with high hydroxy fatty acids. Guayule: Release new germplasm with higher rubber, resin, and/or latex contents and faster growth. OBJECTIVE 2 Lesquerella: Complete field studies of environmental effects on seed production. Guayule and Lesquerella: Obtain special local needs herbicide permits for Arizona and Texas. OBJECTIVE 3 Complete testing of composite boards and wood treated with guayule resins for termite resistance, and wood pellets for use as biofuel. OBJECTIVE 4 Select and evaluate potential germplasm for release. YEAR 4 (FY 2007) OBJECTIVE 1 Lesquerella: Release new germplasm line with 35% oil content. Guayule: Complete preliminary evaluation and seed increase of new germplasm collections. OBJECTIVE 2 Guayule: Publish recommendations on planting date and plant populations. OBJECTIVE 3 Develop recommendations for use of guayule resin and bagasse in production of composite boards and fuel pellets. OBJECTIVE 4 Complete evaluation of potential germplasm for use as biofuels. YEAR 5 (FY 2008) OBJECTIVE 1 Lesquerella: Release new germplasm from interspecific crossing program with high hydroxy fatty acid content. Guayule: Release new germplasm lines with increased levels of resin, rubber, and/or latex content. OBJECTIVE 2 Guayule: Publish recommendations on water use efficiency, harvest height and frequency, and post harvest handling. OBJECTIVE 3 Publish recommendations for use of guayule resin and bagasse in production of composite boards and fuel pellets. OBJECTIVE 4 Release germplasm for use as biofuels. 3.Milestones: A. The milestones listed below were all scheduled to be completed under year 1 (FY 2004). All milestones were completed. OBJECTIVE 1 Guayule: Publish genotype x environment effects on guayule growth and latex content (Manuscript accepted for publication). Lesquerella: Complete evaluation of recent lesquerella collections from Oklahoma and salt tolerant germplasm from cooperative studies in Texas and Mexico. Produce additional F1 hybrids between L. fendleri and high hydroxy fatty acid species, and M1 generation with ethyl methyl sulfate hydroxy fatty acid mutants of L. fendleri. OBJECTIVE 2 Lesquerella: Complete growth chamber studies on the environmental effects on seed production and determination of growing degree days for lesquerella. Obtain Special Local Needs permit for herbicide for grass control and dessication in lesquerella. Complete irrigation study on a production field. OBJECTIVE 3 Initiate experiments on resins, composite boards, and fuel pellets. OBJECTIVE 4 Complete initial evaluation of candidate species for use as biofuels (Manuscript accepted for publication). B. Milestones for next 3 years. YEAR 2 (FY 2005) OBJECTIVE 1 Lesquerella: Release new germplasm line with 32% oil content, complete additional germplasm collections in Mexico, and develop high glucosinolate germplasm. Guayule: Initiate collections of new and lost accessions in U.S. and Mexico. OBJECTIVE 2 Lesquerella and Guayule: Obtain data needed for herbicide permits. Update Growers Guide for Lesquerella. OBJECTIVE 3 Guayule: Develop CRADA¿s for evaluation of composite boards, wood treated with guayule resins, and wood pellets for use as biofuel. Lesquerella: Analyze hybrid lesquerella plants for estolide content and select for further development. OBJECTIVE 4 Select and evaluate germplasm for high glucosinolate and/or oil content, initiate crossing program for enhanced germplasm. YEAR 3 (FY 2006) OBJECTIVE 1 Lesquerella: Complete additional germplasm collections from southeastern U.S., selection of plants from F2 and F3 generations for high hydroxy fatty acids, analyses of M2 plants, and release mutant lines with high hydroxy fatty acids. Guayule: Release new germplasm with higher rubber, resin, and/or latex contents and faster growth. OBJECTIVE 2 Lesquerella: Complete field studies of environmental effects on seed production. Guayule and Lesquerella: Obtain special local needs herbicide permits for Arizona and Texas. OBJECTIVE 3 Complete testing of composite boards and wood treated with guayule resins for termite resistance, and wood pellets for use as biofuel. OBJECTIVE 4 Select and evaluate potential germplasm for release. YEAR 4 (FY 2007) OBJECTIVE 1 Lesquerella: Release new germplasm line with 35% oil content. Guayule: Complete preliminary evaluation and seed increase of new germplasm collections. OBJECTIVE 2 Guayule: Publish recommendations on planting date and plant populations. OBJECTIVE 3 Develop recommendations for use of guayule resin and bagasse in production of composite boards and fuel pellets. OBJECTIVE 4 Complete evaluation of potential germplasm for use as biofuels. 4.What were the most significant accomplishments this past year? A. Single Most Significant Accomplishment during FY 2004: Termite control and repair of termite damaged buildings costs the U.S. over a billion dollars a year. Researchers at the U.S. Water Conservation Laboratory, Phoenix, Arizona in cooperation with researchers at the University of Illinois, and U.S. Forest Products Laboratory, Madison, Wisconsin developed composite boards from guayule bagasse and recycled milk cartons and evaluated the boards for construction specifications and termite resistance. Results showed that the boards met all construction specifications and were resistant to termite damage. A patent is pending for this process and will be available to industry to begin utilizing this important new source of building material in construction of homes and other buildings. B. Other Significant Accomplishments: Lower oil costs for products such as biodegradable motor oils are needed to improve chances for commercialization of lesquerella. Researchers at the U.S. Water Conservation Laboratory, Phoenix, Arizona through plant breeding have improved seed oil content, harvest index, and seed yield of lesquerella. A new germplasm line is being released this year with 33% oil content compared to 29% from the previously released line. The new line provides high genetic diversity for future improvements to public and private researchers and an alternative domestic source of hydroxy fatty acids presently filled by imported castor. (Note: This milestone from the Project Plan was reached a year earlier than expected.) Knowledge of the genetic and environment effects on latex and growth of guayule is needed for plant breeders to plan breeding strategies and industry to determine where to plant various cultivars. Researchers at the U.S. Water Conservation Laboratory, Phoenix, Arizona in cooperation with researchers at the University of Arizona conducted a four year study of four guayule lines at two locations. Results showed that environment influenced latex content more than genetics, but more importantly that the environment x genetic interaction was not significant. These results will enable breeders to evaluate more material at one time since only one location is needed for evaluation of new lines and superior lines selected at one location will have superior performance at other locations. The species of Lesquerella being commercialized is lacking in genetic diversity for hydroxy fatty acids (HFA) in the seed oil. Researchers at the U.S. Water Conservation Laboratory, Phoenix, Arizona made crosses with plants of different Lesquerella species to introgress this trait into the desired species. This resulted in fertile, segregating generations with above 80% HFA compared to 56% from non-hybrids. These are significantly improved over the best lines available and will result in significantly lowering the cost for HFA to industry. Genetic diversity of lesquerella is needed to continue plant improvements. Researchers at the U.S. Water Conservation Laboratory, Phoenix, Arizona in cooperation with researchers at the University of Arizona evaluated a number of Lesquerella species for traits such as oil content and profile, autofertility, and potential to cross with the species now being commercialized. A Federal Endangered species with two different cytotypes was found, meaning they are both from the same species but have different chromosome numbers, which affects whether or not they will cross with the species being commercialized. This information will greatly help the breeding program in choosing parent plants to introgress desired traits. Achievements in lesquerella breeding for seed oil characteristics could be accelerated if DNA technologies were employed. Researchers at the U.S. Water Conservation Laboratory, Phoenix, Arizona searched enriched DNA libraries of lesquerella for Single Sequence Repeat (SSR) molecular markers. Twenty six markers have been identified so far in this study. These results will allow for marker assisted selection for traits such as high hydroxy fatty acids, improved oil content, and other yield related traits. There is a lack of information on the growing regions best suited for seed production of lesquerella. Researchers at the U.S. Water Conservation Laboratory, Phoenix, Arizona grew two species of Lesquerella plants at different elevations to determine the effect of temperature on the stage of development, plant growth, and photosynthesis over the growing season and final yield at harvest. These data helped to estimate growing degree days and estimate the limits to growing regions. This information helps explain the relationship between temperature of a potential growing region and seed production. New energy crops are needed for production in the southwest. Researchers at the U.S. Water Conservation Laboratory, Phoenix, Arizona conducted a two year study of crambe and canola and industrial type rape cultivars adapted to the Northern Plains as potential new crops for production in the southwest. Results show that while seed yields were lower when thee crops were grown in the winter in the southwest, the oil contents and plant biomass were higher and offset the lower yields. The findings are important to growers and industry, since the results show that other crops in the mustard family besides lesquerella can be grown successfully in the southwest as potential energy crops. C. Significant Accomplishments/Activities that support Special Target Populations: Success in commercialization of lesquerella depends on improved management practices for production on farmers¿ fields, as well as adequate amounts of oil for product formulations. Forty-five acres of Lesquerella was produced on three farms in Arizona (U of AZ - Maricopa Ag. Center; Rovey Farms; and Chernicky Farms) by Researchers at the U.S. Water Conservation Laboratory, Phoenix, Arizona in cooperation with researchers at the University of Arizona and Texas Agricultural Experiment Station during the 2003-04 growing season to increase seed for a pilot processing plant at ARS, NCAUR, Peoria IL and to develop better farm management practices. Over 45,000 lbs of seed was produced for crushing and processing, and oil sent to an industrial cooperator, Terresolve Inc., for various bioproduct formulations. These results will help move lesquerella products into the marketplace and provide an alternative crop for agriculture, which supports rural community development. 5.Describe the major accomplishments over the life of the project, including their predicted or actual impact. This is the first year of the current project. Major accomplishments from the previous project Germplasm Improvement and Agronomic Development of New Alternative Crops number 5344-21410-003-00D can be found in the final report for the project in 2003. 6.What science and/or technologies have been transferred and to whom? When is the science and/or technology likely to become available to the end-user (industry, farmer, other scientists)? What are the constraints, if known, to the adoption and durability of the technology products? A new germplasm line of lesquerella with improved oil, harvest index, and seed yield is being released by ARS as a result of the USWCL breeding program. This new germplasm line will especially help the company undertaking the commercialization of lesquerella and contracting with farmers to grow the crop. Seed will be increased during this next growing season to obtain sufficient amounts for planting by growers in FY05. A growers' guide handbook for lesquerella has been updated with information obtained from crop production on farmers' fields this past season. This handbook is available and will be used by industry as they contract with farmers to grow the crop. Latex and raw materials such as oil, bagasse, and resin will be supplied to industrial cooperators in FY 05 and FY 06 for co-product development to improve the economics of guayule and lesquerella commercialization. A new peanut cultivar, Wilson, was released jointly by the Virginia Agricultural Experiment Station and ARS researchers at the U.S. Water Conservation Laboratory, Phoenix, Arizona. Wilson yields from 4.7% to 12.0% higher than currently grown peanut cultivars, and the pod shape, color and size distribution make it highly suited for in-shell products. Certified seed will be available to growers for planting in 2005. 7.List your most important publications in the popular press and presentations to organizations and articles written about your work. A. Popular Press: Larson, Jane. June 9, 2004. The desert's potential, Arizona desert shrub a source for rubber. The Arizona Republic. B. Important presentations: None Review Publications Mozingo, R.W., Coffelt, T.A., Swann, S.W., Phipps, P.M. 2004. Registration of Wilson peanut. Crop Science. 44:1017-1018. ADAM, N.R., COFFELT, T.A., DIERIG, D.A., WALL, G.W. 2003. MINIMUM GERMINATION TEMPERATURE FOR LESQUERELLA AND GUAYULE. ASSOCIATION FOR THE ADVANCEMENT OF INDUSTRIAL CROPS CONFERENCE. P. 65. COFFELT, T.A., NAKAYAMA, F.S., RAY, D.T., CORNISH, K. 2003. POST-HARVEST GUAYULE STORAGE TESTS. ASSOCIATION FOR THE ADVANCEMENT OF INDUSTRIAL CROPS CONFERENCE. p. 25. COFFELT, T.A., NAKAYAMA, F.S., RAY, D.T., FOSTER, M.A. GUAYULE A USEFUL PLANT FROM THE DESERT SOUTHWEST. AGRONOMY ABSTRACTS. 2003. DIERIG, D.A., TOMASI, P., DAHLQUIST, G.H., DAWSON, H. 2003. MEASUREMENTS OF LESQUERELLA INTERSPECIFIC HYBRIDS AND PARENTS. ASSOCIATION FOR THE ADVANCEMENT OF INDUSTRIAL CROPS CONFERENCE. P. 39. DIERIG, D.A., RODRIGUEZ, D., FOSTER, M.A., GRIEVE, C.M., DAWSON, H., RODRIGUEZ, R. EFFECTS OF SALINITY ON LESQUERELLA AT THREE LOCATIONS. AGRONOMY ABSTRACTS. 2003. MAJEAU, G.H., RAY, D.T., COFFELT, T.A., FOSTER, M.A. 2003. NEW GUAYULE (PARTHENIUM ARGENTATUM GRAY) VARIETY TRIALS. ASSOCIATION FOR THE ADVANCEMENT OF INDUSTRIAL CROPS CONFERENCE. p. 14. NAKAYAMA, F.S., HOLT, G.A., COFFELT, T.A., VINYARD, S.H., FABER, A.L. 2000. PELLET FUEL FROM GUAYULE PLANT MATERIAL. ASSOCIATION FOR THE ADVANCEMENT OF INDUSTRIAL CROPS CONFERENCE. p. 62.