Cuphea growth, yield, and oil characteristics as influenced by climate and soil environments across the upper Midwest USA

▶ Several species of Cuphea are known to grow in temperate climates and produce oil rich in medium-chain fatty acids (MCFA). ▶ MCFAs are used for making a wide range of industrial products like soaps and detergents and lubricants, but they can also serve as excellent feedstock for making aircraft fuel. ▶ We grew three wild species of Cuphea and two semi-domesticated varieties at four different field locations across the upper Midwest to explore the effects of climate and soil environment on their growth and seed oil charcateristics. ▶ The two semi-domestic genotypes, PSR23 and HC-10, were more regionally adappted to the northern-most field sites while the three wild species were more widely adapted over the four different locations. ▶ Seed yields of the two wild species C. wrightii and C. lutea were as high as 1100 kg ha−1, and combined with high seed oil contents, results indicate that both are good candidates to undergo domestication.