Cuphea a rich source of medium chain triglycerides: Fatty acid compositionand oil diversity in Cuphea procumbens

The phenological characteristics, oil content, and fatty acid composition o f 34 selections of Cuphea procumbens have been studied. The mean seed yield per plant was 9.7 +/- 0.43 g. Maximum seed yield (16.7 g) was noticed in N BC-27, while the average number of fruits per plant was 124.9 +/- 10.7. The oil content in the seeds ranged from 16.7-28.7%, maximum being in NBC-34. The fatty acid composition revealed the presence of capric acid (C10:0) in all the selections of C. procumbens as the major constituent of the oil ran ging from 87.7-94.6%. C. procumbens showed its novelty as an alternative so urce of capric acid and may be utilized as a renewable resource in the prod uction of plasticizers and lubricants which wholly depend on petrochemical import. Researches are in progress in order to obtain tolerant cultivars ag ainst wild plant characteristics and some delayed seed shattering plants ha ve been identified.