Research team investigates arid-friendly, salt-tolerant lesquerella as biodiesel feedstock

A group of researchers in Texas, Arizona and Illinois, supported by funding from the USDA’s Cooperative State Research, Education, and Extension Service, are investigating the biofuel potential of lesquerella, a member of the mustard family that grows in arid and semi-arid growing areas unsuitable for food crops without irrigation. Lesquerella also has a salt-tolerant hybrid, is rich in fatty acids, and has superior cold-flow characteristics to other oils, including petroleum. The research team is developing new hybrids and collecting seeds from native populations of lesquerella in the southwest.

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