BP Singh

Promising Introductions and Prioritize Needs for Exotic Germplas1ll 97c~ntres of diversity for this genus. This genus containsapproximately 260 species of which only 5 grow wild in USA. Thespecies C. wrightii Gray appears to have agronomic potential inarid areas. Similarly other new crops for arid areas are Lesquerella,Grindelia and Baccharis. Lesquerella a so:urce of hydroxylatedvegetable oil of industrial importance as chemical feed stocks forthe production of lubricants, plasticizers, surfactants andpharmaceuticals. Seed oils of various species of Lesquerella havebeen discovered to contain sizable quantities of 3 hydroxy fattyacids. The oil percentage reported ranges from 11-39%. Some 20species of Lesquerella have been field tested in Arizona. L. jendleriappears to have the most promise for domestication and use as anew crop.Research at the Bioresources Research Faculty of the Universityof Arizona, Office of Arid Lands Sludes. (OALS) in Tucson, hasidentified species of Grindelia, as having potential for the productionof feed stocks for biocrude production in arid lands. Grindeliaappears to be one of the most promising of the resin producinggenera of the compositae. Grindelia camporum Grene is an aridadapted plant, used in industries. Baccharis is a genus of familycompositae, consists of over .300 species of dioecion, sometimesevergreen shrubs, native to North and South America.The desert broom and rosin bush (B. sarothrodes Gray) is anerect, small leaved evergreen shrub, that is well adapted to thedrought, heat, cold and high salinity conditions. In the naturalhabitat of Sono'ran desert and surrounding arid areas.The buffalo gourd (Cucul'bita joetidissima HBK) is a semixerophytic cucurbit native to arid lands, ranges of south westernUnited States and northern Mexico. As a: perennial, the buffalogourd develops large storage roots containing substantial quantityof starch. The fruit of wild buffalo gourd are 5-7 cm. in diameterand contain 200-300 seeds, with 30-40% edible oil and ·30-35%protein.Much of these plants would need to be grown in marginalland, unused areas, not occupied by agricultural crops. Amongother under-utilised plants of such known potentialities areBrosimum alicastrum, Pittosporum hylliraeoides and Calliganumcomosum used as fodder types.