Biomedical Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
Introduction
New crops are fundamental to agricultural diversification and could help raise farm
income and mitigate the potentially adverse environmental effects of intensive crop
production [
1
]. New crops are plant species that has been identified to have
potential for commercialization and can be grown off-season with a commodity
crop or utilize land that are not suitable for growing current commodity crops
[
2
]. Historically, new crops in the United States are those that were previously new
germplasm introductions. For example, soybean was once considered a new crop in
the United States during the late 1700s, but then it eventually became a major
commodity crop in the 1930s [
3
-
5
].
Lesquerella (
Physaria fendleri,
formerly
Lesquerella fendleri
) (Fig.
14.1
)is
among the latest new industrial oilseed crops being developed by improving native
germplasm for commercial cultivation in the United States. Interest in
Lesquerella
species for domestication came in the late 1950s and subsequent research and
commercialization efforts are viewed as a model for new crop species [
6
,
7
]. The
beginning of lesquerella as a new crop started with the national oilseeds screening
program of over 200 plant families growing in native habitats initiated by the New
Fig. 14.1 A lesquerella
(
P. fendleri
) plant during a
USDA germplasm
regeneration activity. The
netting material of the
isolation cage is seen on the
background (Photo: USDA)
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