Commercialising thermo-stable rapeseed oil for the bio-lubricants industry

Oilseed rape is the UK's third largest crop. As well as being edible, rapeseed oil is used extensively in biodiesel. There is potential for higher-value industrial uses, for example in applications such as lubricants and hydraulic fluids, to which it brings advantages of low toxicity and biodegradability. However, rapeseed oil is thermally unstable, due to a high content of polyunsaturated fatty acids. Recent advances in predictive mutation breeding have led to the development of oilseed rape lines in which this problem has been solved. To overcome the final hurdle to commercialisation, we aim to characterise temperature responses in controlled environments of a range of these lines and investigate more closely the agronomy of these new varieties through field trials, to maximise oil content and seed yield Whilst doing this, we will produce sufficient quantities of the new types of rapeseed oil to distribute to commercial users for evaluation.

Supported by management and dissemination activities, the project is structured into four Work Packages, each mapping onto one of the four primary aims of the project:

WP1 Optimisation of agronomy based on field trials.
Six lines of rapeseed with much reduced polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA) content, but with differing amounts and proportions of the main PUFAs, will be used in a series of field trials in the UK to enable optimisation of agronomic practice (e.g. sowing date, optimum nitrogen and fungicide input together with soil type suitability).

WP2 Purification of novel oil types for industry evaluation.
Oil will be purified and refined from bulk seeds of the six rapeseed lines. Seed will be available (~100 kg) at the beginning of the project for the optimisation of oil extraction and refining on a small scale. These protocols will then be used to produce oil for distribution to potential users of the oil (up to 100 litres).

WP3 Understanding the temperature responses of the new crop type.
All six oilseed rape lines, plus additional lines from UoY, will be grown in pots in controlled environment cabinets to subject the plants to soil temperatures that are likely to be encountered in UK winter condition. Germplasm screens will also be undertaken, if appropriate, to identify sources of variation for root cold tolerance.

WP4 Identification of molecular markers for marker-assisted breeding.
A genetic diversity panel (ASSYST panel) that is being subjected to functional genotyping will be exploited for the identification of molecular markers associated with variation for traits that might be of relevance for performance of the new crop type. These include root architecture and seedling vigour analysis using trait data from various project and, if appropriate, root cold tolerance.

As described in proposal submitted to IUK