Improvement of germination rate and hybridization to facilitate breeding of an industrial oil crop, Euphorbia lagascae Spreng.

Background: The potential of plant-based sources of vernolic acid to provide agricultural producers with a market diversification opportunity and industrial manufacturers with a renewable, environmentally friendly chemical feedstock is immense. The herbaceous wild spurge or caper spurge (Euphorbia lagascae Spreng) is the most promising source of vernolic acid, containing an average oil content of 50%, of which around 60% is vernolic acid. Its seed yield ranges between 500 and 2000 kg ha, and a theoretical yield of 180 kg ha of pure vernolic acid is possible.