Like Cinderella, a hardy native plant called lesquerella may soon fit into the glass slipper of success. In Phoenix, Arizona, ARS researchers are breeding new and improved lesquerella plants to meet the needs of growers and processors. They're also using techniques of modern biotechnology to explore the plant's genetic makeup. Known to scientists as Lesquerella fendleri, the plant is native to Arizona, New Mexico, Colorado, Utah, Texas, and Mexico.
Castor oil is required in high-quality lubricants for racing cars and heavy equipment.
It is also used in coatings, plastics, paints, lipstick, shampoo, and other products. Peoria research showed that lesquerella oil could be superior to castor oil for some uses. To sidestep that problem, plant geneticists David A. Dierig and Terry A. Coffelt at ARS' U.S. Water Conservation Laboratory in Phoenix, Arizona, developed lesquerella that yields yellow-coated seeds with significantly less of the troublesome pigments. The scientists made seeds available to other plant breeders for the first time in 1997. The first release, also from our lab, was made 3 years ago when we offered seed of lesquerellas that had 2 percent more oil than others that we tested.