Cultivation of cow cockle (Vaccaria hispanica (Mill.) Rauschert): An industrial–medicinal weed

Cow cockle (Vaccaria hispanica (Mill.) Rauschert) is an important medicinal weed. Its therapeutic properties are due to present of triterpenoid saponins. Large potential exists to use cow cockle as source of pharmaceutical products or as medicinal plant. Cow cockle seedlings are very cold tolerance. A limiting factor in cow cockle production is weed interference. Cow cockle crop can tolerate clethodim and isoxaflutole herbicides. Cow cockle responds strongly to nitrogen fertilization. Harvest occurred 90–100 days after sowing. Moreover, a number of different genotypes are available. The wild populations from different geographical regions constitute a gene pool that can be utilized for the improvement of cow cockle crop. The basic objective of breeding in cow cockle is the development of a variety with high saponin content.

► The bioactive components of cow cockle seeds include phenolis, cyclic peptides and saponins.
► Large potential exists to use cow cockle as source of pharmaceutical products or as medicinal plant.
► Plant saponins are widely distributed and have a wide range of biological properties.
► The basic objective of breeding in cow cockle is the development of a variety with high saponin content.
► Cow cockle crop can tolerate clethodim and isoxaflutole herbicides.