A preliminary study on the introduction and cultivation of Crambe abyssinica in China, an oil plant for industrial uses

Crambe abyssinica is an annual herb. After introduction and cultivation in China, the oil content of its whole seed reaches 34.48%, of which 62.50% is erucic acid. Some available characters, such as short growing season, pote ntiality of high yield and good resistance to diseases were found. In the C hengdu area, the experiment of sowing date and density indicated that the s owing date of C. abyssinica could be preliminarily determined: from the beg inning of October to mid-October and 150 000 plants/ha was more suitable. A fter single-plant selection, two new strains named N01 and B07, respectivel y, were obtained. Multi-locational evaluation showed that N01 and B07 were superior to the original both in yield and stress resistance. Therefore, C. abyssinica shows itself a promising oil crop, which can be used in industr y in China but further studies are needed. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science B.V. A ll rights reserved.