Good article about the efforts to check out other oil sources, with a focus on pennycress. Link here.
Fueling crop diversity
Petroleum crunch has Ag lab turning to pennycress and other plants
Tuesday, February 12, 2008
By Steve Tarter
of the Journal Star
PEORIA -
With corn and soybeans now being tapped for fuel as well as food,
increasing concerns about the best use of these plants has turned into
a food-versus-fuel debate.
That's where the new crops division at the National Center for Agricultural Utilization Research in Peoria comes in.
While not taking sides in the debate, Terry Isbell, research head of
the Ag Lab's new crops division, is pushing for change. "I want to see
more diversity on the farm. We want to look at other crops," he said.
There are plenty of new-crop candidates auditioning for stardom, said
Isbell, citing national research on plants such as camelina, cuphea,
lesquerella, switchgrass and milkweed - all offering different benefits
suitable for specific climates.
"Whoever finishes first with the highest yield will be the winner," he said.
One contender getting a closer look now is field pennycress, a member
of the mustard family that hasn't exactly won accolades from the
farming community that once dubbed it "stinkweed."
But this weed comes with some big benefits, Isbell said. "The mustard
plant is 36 percent oil - double the amount found in soybeans," he said.
That oil could go into fuel such as biodiesel or serve as a substitute for petroleum-based
plastics. Another possible benefitsuch as biodiesel or serve as a
substitute for petroleum-based plastics. Another possible benefit is
that pennycress could be planted in the fall and harvested in late
spring, allowing a farmer to "double crop," he said.
"We have to learn how to fit (pennycress) in with the kings of the
Midwest, corn and soybeans," said Isbell, indicating researchers are
looking at how pennycress could fit in with Illinois planting seasons
of the primary commodity crops. A pennycress crop harvested in late May
would allow for a full growing season for soybeans, he said.
Another advantage for the farmer planting pennycress is that as a
winter ground cover it would help stem soil erosion plus require little
to no fertilizer or herbicide to spur growth.
But much research is required before pennycress starts sprouting across
the land, he said. "We still have questions on fertility, weed pressure
issues and developing hybrids," said Isbell, who, along with other Ag
Lab researchers, paid a visit in January to a test field on Peoria
County land owned by rancher Chip Unsicker.
While most fields sit idle over the winter, pennycress showed signs of
growth on the frozen test field. "We don't believe pennycress is
dormant at all," said Isbell, inspecting individual plants with fellow
Ag Lab researcher Steven Vaughn, a plant physiologist.
"They've definitely grown since the last time we were here (in
December)," said Vaughn, who photographed different patches. "There's
definitely good density of pennycress. I'm also noticing some frost
damage," he said.
Once the weather warms up, pennycress growth will accelerate, said
Isbell. "In March, the pennycress will take off. (Plants) will be two
feet tall by April," he said.
Whether it's pennycress or another contender, Isbell looks for new
crops to eventually make their mark. "Double-cropping will be the way
of the future. It's inevitable. Our energy needs dictate it," he said.
Along with making better use of first-rate farmland so prevalent in
central Illinois, Isbell sees other advantages to Ag Lab research. "We
have to tackle marginal lands that see no production at present," he
said.
"We're also looking at plants that are native to certain areas of the
country. Maybe we can develop a crop every two years when before
there's been no crop at all," said Isbell, referring to other land such
as that used for grazing cattle in Nebraska and Wyoming.
Pennycress, if developed successfully, could provide a source of fuel
without affecting food needs, he said. Yet research on these
alternative crops is relatively new, said Isbell; he noted that
research continues on corn and soybeans even though the crops have been
grown commercially for 100 years.
"We've been looking at new crops for 16 years but only in the last two
years has anyone been intensely interested. The petroleum crunch has
provided that impetus," he said.
Steve Tarter can be reached at 686-3260 or starter@pjstar.com.
