Pennycress (Thlaspi arvense) is under development as a winter annual oilseed bioenergy crop for the 80 million-acre Midwest Corn Belt and other temperate regions. Pennycress has unique attributes such as extreme cold tolerance and rapid spring growth. Pennycress could produce up to 3 billion gallons of seed oil annually while reducing soil erosion and fertilizer runoff and avoiding land-use changes.
Proposer: Ratan Chopra, University of Minnesota
Proposal: Pennycress – A solution for global food security, renewable energy and ecosystem benefits