Field pennycress facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Field pennycress |
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| Scientific classification | |
| Genus: |
Thlaspi
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| Species: |
arvense
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Thlaspi arvense, also known as field pennycress, is a common flowering plant. It belongs to the cabbage family, called Brassicaceae.
Contents
What is Field Pennycress?
Field pennycress is a wild plant that grows every year. It can reach up to 60 centimeters (about 2 feet) tall. The plant has a strong smell, especially when you squeeze its leaves. Its leaves are shaped like arrows and have small teeth along the edges.
From May to July, field pennycress grows small white flowers. These flowers have four sepals (leaf-like parts under the petals) and four petals. After the flowers, the plant forms round, flat, winged pods. These pods are about 1 centimeter (less than half an inch) wide and have a notch at the top. Inside these pods are small, dark brown seeds.
The name 'pennycress' comes from the shape of its seeds, which look like old English pennies. People also call it stinkweed, bastard cress, fanweed, or frenchweed.
How it Grows
Field pennycress is a winter annual plant. This means it starts growing in the fall and stays alive through the winter as a small cluster of leaves close to the ground. In spring, a main stem and side stems grow upwards, topped with white flowers.
The flowers pollinate themselves. Each flower produces a flat, heart-shaped seed pod, about the size of a penny. These pods can hold up to 14 dark brown seeds. Each seed is oval-shaped and a bit bigger than a camelina seed.
Field pennycress grows across much of the Midwestern United States and in many other parts of the world.
Where it Lives
This plant is originally from cooler parts of Europe and Asia. However, it has spread and now grows naturally across North America. This means it has a "circumpolar distribution," growing in similar climates all around the world. In places like the British Isles, it's considered an "archaeophyte," meaning it was introduced a very long time ago.
You can find field pennycress in many places. It often grows in farm fields, empty lands, along roadsides, in gardens, and in other disturbed areas. It prefers places where the ground has been moved or changed, and it usually doesn't invade untouched natural areas.
Climate and Water Needs
Field pennycress can grow well in many different climates. In the northern parts of the world, it can even produce seeds during the winter. In the US and Mediterranean regions, farmers often plant it in October and harvest it in May or June.
To grow a good amount of seeds, it needs about 300 millimeters (about 12 inches) of rain. If there isn't enough water, the plant won't produce as many seeds. Field pennycress needs a fair amount of water to grow. For example, it needs about 405 liters of water to produce 0.45 kilograms of seeds. Because of this, it doesn't grow well in very dry places where there isn't much natural rainfall.
Ecology and Environment
Field pennycress is often seen as a weed in farmed areas and empty lots. However, it can also be helpful!
Studies in Germany show that growing pennycress before corn can increase the number of different spiders. It also helps increase and stabilize the number of ground beetles. This happens because pennycress provides plant cover throughout the year. So, using pennycress for bioenergy (fuel from plants) can also help support insect diversity.
Farmers can use field pennycress to help manage weeds. If planted in the fall, it covers the ground early in spring. This can stop other aggressive weeds, like common lambsquarters or giant ragweed, from growing. Some scientists think pennycress might even release special chemicals that stop other weeds from growing.
Farming Field Pennycress
Planting Seeds
When planting field pennycress, the recommended amount of seeds can vary. In Europe, about 1500 seeds per hectare are suggested, while in the US, it's around 672 seeds per hectare. This difference is due to different climates. The best depth to plant the seeds is about 1 centimeter (less than half an inch). For the seeds to sprout well, they need about 25-40 millimeters (1-1.5 inches) of water. They also prefer cold and wet conditions.
Adding Nutrients
Farmers sometimes add nutrients, called fertilizer, to field pennycress to help it grow more seeds. Pennycress is often used as a "cover crop." This means it helps soak up nutrients in the soil, like nitrate and sulfur, stopping them from washing away. Adding these nutrients can help the plant produce more seeds. However, even without extra fertilizer, pennycress can still produce a good amount of seeds.
Harvesting Seeds
Field pennycress can be harvested using the same machines that farmers use for corn and soybeans. This makes it easy to fit into many farming plans. Since pennycress grows over winter and is harvested in spring, the harvesting machines are usually free at that time. The amount of seeds harvested can range from 500 kg to 2400 kg per hectare. Most studies suggest an average of about 1100 kg per hectare.
Growing with Other Crops
In the central US, farmers often grow soybeans and corn. After harvesting these crops, the fields are sometimes left empty. Field pennycress is very good for producing oil when grown before soybeans.
When grown over winter and harvested in spring, pennycress can help the soil. It reduces soil erosion (when soil is washed away), stops nutrients from leaving the soil, improves the soil's structure, and increases the variety of living things (biodiversity) in the area. The machines needed to grow and harvest pennycress are already used for corn and soybeans, which makes it easy for farmers to add it to their crop rotations.
Uses of Field Pennycress
Oil Production
People first tried to grow pennycress for its oil in 1994. Since 2002, it has become more popular as a plant for oil, rather than just a weed.
The oil from wild pennycress has a lot of something called "erucic acid" (more than 30%). It also contains "glucosinolates." Because of these, the oil is not good for people to eat. However, pennycress oil is now very interesting as a material for making jet fuel and biodiesel. Oils with high erucic acid are especially good for jet fuel. The quality of the oil can change depending on things like how much rain the plant gets.
Animal Feed
Since the seeds are not good for human food, the plant material (biomass) can be used to feed farm animals. It grows quickly in cold weather, which makes it useful as a second crop for animal food. However, it doesn't produce a lot of plant material, so it's not usually grown just for animal feed.
Human Food
Field pennycress has a bitter taste. To remove this bitterness, people usually boil it first. After boiling, it can be used in salads or sometimes in sandwich spreads. People say it has a unique flavor.
Research on Pennycress
Scientists are studying field pennycress because it is related to a well-known plant called Arabidopsis thaliana. Researchers are looking into the genetics of pennycress. They want to improve it so it can be used even better as a biofuel crop. For example, they have studied its "transcriptome," which is like a map of all the genes that are active in the plant.
Images for kids
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Field pennycress plant
See also
In Spanish: Carraspique para niños
