2008 Joint Annual Meeting (5-9 Oct. 2008): Selecting Winter Canola (Brassica napus) Cultivars for Biodiesel Production in Alabama.

Feedstock availability is a major factor limiting production biodiesel in the United States. Currently, soybean (Glycine max) is the primary feedstock being used in the US to produce biodiesel. However, in the southern region of the US, winter canola (Brassica napus) and other oilseed crops:  peanut (Arachis hypogaea), sunflower (Helianthus annuus), and cotton seed (Gossypium hirsutum) are being considered as additional feedstock for biodiesel. As a winter crop, canola fits well in the cropping scheme of many southern states where the land stays fallow during the winter. Production practices for winter canola cultivars and breeding lines including rotation with traditional summer crops, affects of location on seed and oil yields are being investigated at Alabama A&M University. Significant differences exist in maturity among the winter canola cultivars tested in Alabama. Genetic variation in seed and oil yields between early and late maturing types allow a broad range of selection to be possible for the range of climatic variation across the state. Early maturing lines with acceptable seed and oil yields are favorable for double cropping; however, they are vulnerable to late spring frost. Late maturing lines with greater yield potential are subjected to heat stress during mid May to early June. This paper discusses the variations among those winter canola cultivars and breeding lines, which most productive for the region.