Brassica Carinata: A Non-Food Drop-in Biofuel Cover Crop.

Brassica carinata (Ethiopian mustard), is an oilseed crop with a relatively high concentration of erucic acid (C22) making it a nonedible biofuel feedstock. This promising new crop has potential for profitable cultivation as a summer or fall crop depending on the geographic location, without displacing land for food crops. In the Southeast US, B. carinata is especially useful as a cover crop alternative on fallowed row crop land and dormant pasture land in the winter. In Florida alone, over 200,000 hectares of row crop and pasture land could lend itself to carinata cultivation in the fall. Assuming 15-18% producer participation, this could translate into 150-380 ML biofuel per year. With high yielding varieties ready to be launched, oil yield of up to 2000 L /ha (3500 Kg seed/ha) can be expected. B. carinata oil has been successfully converted to drop-in biodiesel and bio jet fuel using a catalytic hydrothermolysis process, putting it significantly ahead in the biofuel feedstock discovery pipeline.  In addition to being a highly viable biofuel feedstock, a rotation alternative for different cropping systems, and an opportunity for economic diversification for producers, it provides a number of ecosystem services. B. carinata meal is also being evaluated as a feed alternative in the cattle and fisheries industry thereby presenting an added avenue to make the value chain more profitable. Research on best management practices and optimal variety development have already helped producers achieve high yields. Current and future research is focused on overcoming yield-limiting biotic and abiotic stress factors in a changing climate.