Breeding Advances and Germplasm Resources in Meadowfoam: A Novel Very Long Chain Oilseed

Meadowfoam (Limnanthes alba Benth., Limnanthaceae) produces a very-long chain seed oil with novel physical and chemical characteristics (Earle et al. 1959; Smith et al. 1960; Bagby et al. 1961; Miller et al. 1964; Isbell 1997). These characteristics have propelled the development of meadowfoam as a specialty oilseed crop and the development of industrial markets for meadowfoam oil and oil derivatives. Meadowfoam has been produced on a limited scale for more than 20 years in Oregon (Fig. 1). Markets for the oil began emerging in 1992. Production has steadily increased with progress in marketing the oil and the development and marketing of a variety of specialty chemicals from meadowfoam fatty acids and triglycerides (Isbell 1997). Oregon growers have ensured a supply of oil for the meadowfoam industry. Meadowfoam has an important role as a rotation crop in the Willamette Valley of Oregon and is primarily grown by grass seed producers. The rotational fit of meadowfoam is excellent, particularly for growers with weed or other pest problems in grass seed production fields. Weed control and other crop rotation benefits have stimulated production in Oregon. Although miniscule on a global scale, meadowfoam has had a significant economic impact in Oregon (seed production), California (seed and oil processing), and Illinois (marketing and product development). The number of hectares of meadowfoam produced outside Oregon is not publicly recorded. Meadowfoam has been produced on a pilot scale in New Zealand and Virginia (US) and field tests have been carried out in the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, France, and elsewhere. The development of the meadowfoam industry has been impeded by low and erratic seed yields. Although meadowfoam production has steadily increased since 1993 (Fig. 1), meadowfoam seed yields have not increased and are not much greater today than they were 10 to 15 years ago in Oregon. Significant seed yield increases are needed to solidify and sustain the growth of the meadowfoam industry. The goal of our research has been to increase the productivity of meadowfoam by developing superior cultivars, discovering and developing novel phenotypes, and advancing our understanding of the genetics of economically important traits. Our breeding work has concentrated on increasing seed yield, seed oil concentration, lodging resistance, and Scaptomyza resistance, developing self-pollinated lines and cultivars, and developing novel oils. We review recent progress in meadowfoam breeding, describe meadowfoam germplasm resources, and review breeding and genetics research needs for meadowfoam.