Crops2Industry
“Non-food Crops-to-Industry schemes in
EU27”
WP 1
Task 1.4 Other specialty crops
Task leader: Alice Grigore
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Content
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
Objectives
Progress of work
Results
Status of deliverables & milestones
Problems encountered
Plans for the next 6 Months
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1. Objectives
• systematic overview of the non-food crops in the agriculture of
EU-27, which currently offer opportunity to produce a range of
pharmaceuticals and other specialty products
• identifying promising plant species in EU-27 context
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2. Progress of work
Screening on wild and cultivated medicinal plants in EU 27

Quality characteristics of the raw material - good agricultural and collection
practices (GACP) for medicinal plants

Selection of the most promising medicinal crops
Forecast of climate change and impact on crops development

Calendula officinalis L. (Asteraceae), Echinacea angustifolia DC
(Asteraceae), Lavandula angustifolia Mill. (Lamiaceae), Mentha x piperita L.
(Lamiaceae), Plantago lanceolata L. (Plantaginaceae)
●Common names ● Areas of origin and current cultivation ● Plant anatomy
●Growing conditions – input requirements ● Logistics (harvesting – handling) until
the industrial plant gate ● Yields ● Quality ● Experimental pharmacology ●
Dosage ●Other uses ● Factors restricting growth and yielding potential ●
Research gaps ●Information resources
Conclusions
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3. Results
Screening on wild and cultivated
medicinal plants in EU 27
• Documentation on the potential of cultivated and wild collected
medicinal and aromatic plants (MAPs) have been done for
EU27 countries.
Collected data:
- cultivated area and MAPs production
- the main cultivated plants
- the main MAPs collected from the wild
-legal protection of MAPs and their conservation to avoid danger
and existing threats to MAPs species
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Area of production (1000 ha)
Officinal herbs, aromatic plants, plants for seasoning (Eurostat)
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Fully converted organic crop area (ha)
Officinal herbs, aromatic plants, plants for seasoning (Eurostat)
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Quality characteristics of the raw material good agricultural and collection practices (GACP)
for medicinal plants
Quality control systems → important for the production of high-quality

herbal products due to the inherent complexity of naturally grown
medicinal plants/herbal substances
The concept of GMP for active Pharmaceutical Ingredients (APIs)

also applies to medicinal plants/herbal substances
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The European Herb Growers Association has developed Good Agricultural
and Collection Practice for starting materials of herbal origin (GACP)
which provides technical details for the cultivation of medicinal plants.
Current GACPs contribute by:
1. European Herb Growers Association (EUROPAM): 2006
2. European Herbal Infusions Association (EHIA): 2006
3. Committee on Herbal Medicinal Products (HMPC) of European Medicines
Agency (EMEA): 2006
4. World Health Organization (WHO): 2003
5. International Standard for Sustainable Wild Collection of Medicinal and
Aromatic Plants (ISSC-MAP)
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Forecast of climate change
and impact on crops development
(European Environment Agency, 2008)
A limiting factor for starting new crops is represented by weather
conditions. Scientists widely agree that global climate change is
already causing major environmental effects →
Crop management will have to be adapted to this situation
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Phenological changes
Between 1971 and 2000, the average advance of spring and
summer was 2.5 days per decade.
→flowering and maturity of several species in Europe now occurs
two or three weeks earlier than in the past.
→A longer growing season increases crop yields and favours the
introduction of new species in areas that were not previously
suitable for these species (northern latitudes).
→crop yields will become more variable. While the area under
arable cultivation in most of western Europe has decreased over
the past 40 years, crop yields have increased almost continuously
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Soil
-12 % of the total EU land area, are already subject to water
erosion.
-Projections (for 2071–2100) show a general reduction in summer
soil moisture over most of Europe, significant reductions in the
Mediterranean region, and increases in the north-eastern part of
Europe.
-Soil degradation together with prolonged drought periods and
increased numbers of fires are already intense in parts of the
Mediterranean and central-eastern Europe.
→risk of desertification
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Water
A significant increase in water demand (50–70 %) occurred

mainly in Mediterranean areas; large decreases were recorded
mainly in northern and central European regions.
Current trends and future scenarios depict an increase in the

demand for water in agriculture, potentially increasing competition
for water.
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Selection of the most promising medicinal crops
Based on
●statistical survey of existing European medicinal crops●forecast of
climate change●data received from the most important Romanian
manufacturers of phytopharmaceutically products
5 medicinal and aromatic species showed high potential for cultivation
and a good potential for further valorification:
Lavandula angustifolia ● Calendula officinalis ● Mentha piperita ●
●Plantago lanceolata ● Echinacea angustifolia.
Although these species are widely cultivated in Europe, the selection
is justified by ●multi-purpose potential of the plant ●various types
of raw material for industrial use ● important market demand.
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Calendula officinalis L.
(Asteraceae) (pot marigold)
Areas of origin and current cultivation
Indigenous to Central, Eastern and Southern Europe. Cultivated

commercially in North America, Eastern Europe and Germany.
Plant material of interest according to Ph Eur: flowers
•
Growing conditions – input requirements

-although perennial, it is treated as annual plant
-no special requirements from climatic factors,
-it grows on all types of soil and in all areas except the mountain.
-no requirements regarding the previous crop and also itself is a good
crop for other future species.
-On deep soils, well drained with good fertility, production increases.
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-Vegetation period is long → give good production until September.
-culture may be established by seeds and by seedlings as well
Crop management
-responds well to application of organic fertilizers (increased
production of inflorescences, high content of carotenoids and bitter
principles)
-Weeds must be removed whenever is necessary (Legal options for
chemical weed control are limited in most EU countries due to the
absence of specific pesticide approvals for Calendula).
-if preventive measures are followed, such as rotation and cultural
hygiene, there are no disease or pests which can affect production.
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Logistics (harvesting – handling) until the industrial plant gate
Harvest

-is a difficult operation that requires attention and manual labor. The
operation is done in several phases, from June to October
Drying is made in a thin layer in the shade, in well-ventilated rooms,
dry and clean. Drying efficiency is 8:1.
Yields

1.5-3 t/ ha ligulate flowers and 4-9 t/ ha fresh inflorescences.
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Regulatory status
In UK and Germany, Calendula for external use is included on the

general sale List. It is official in the British Pharmacopeia and the
European Pharmacopeia. In US Calendula does have GRAS status
Major chemical constituents - triterpenic saponins (2–10%) based

on oleanolic acid (i.e. calendulosides), flavonoids (no less than 0.4%)
essential oil, sesquiterpenes, polysaccharides.
Pharmacological activity

Antibacterial, antiviral, anti-inflammatory and wound-healing activity
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Other uses:
-paint additive - methyl, ethyl and isopropyl calendulate as reactive

diluent showing low viscosity and good drying properties.
-The growing plant acts as an insect deterrent, it reduces the soil
eelworm population.
-The flowers are used cosmetically.
-A yellow dye is obtained from the boiled flowers.
-3-O-monoglucoside of oleanolic acid secreted to the soil by
Calendula species possesses very strong allelophatic properties in
relation
to
the
dicotyledons
and
weaker
activity
to
monocotyledons.
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the
Factors restricting growth and yielding potential
-need to develop more hardy genotypes; improved lines showed

good adaptation.
Research gaps

-Canadian specialists suggest that, for C. officinalis, shallow culture
hydroponics is a good choice for mimicking xerophytic adaptation
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Echinacea angustifolia DC.
(Asteraceae) (narrow-leaved coneflower)
(coneflower)
Areas of origin and current cultivation
-native to the Atlantic drainage area of the USA and Canada.

Cultivation areas of E. angustifolia in Europe: Germany-5ha (2000),
France-17ha (2000), Spain-1ha (2002), Switzerland-1ha (2002).
Plant material of interest according to Ph Eur: fresh or dried roots
Growing conditions – input requirements

-perennial herb
-grows best in a more alkaline soil than the other Echinacea species,
-is best suited to well-drained, moderately rich soil types
-grows best in hot sun, is well adapted to dry growing conditions
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-is an exceptionally drought-tolerant species based on their
morphology.
-frost-resistant and winter-hardy perennial, they can tolerate -25ºC to
-40ºC
temperatures.
Under
optimal
conditions,
commercial
cultivation has been practiced near the Arctic Circle at Oulunsalo.
Planting
-Echinacea crop can be established by seed or planting stock.
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Crop management
-responds well to application of organic fertilizers
-it is not weed tolerant in cultivation, especially in the first year. In
small cultivation areas, mechanical weeding is appropriate for small
areas and chemical weed control for larger production.
-In Echinacea crops have not noticed important diseases or pests.
Logistics (harvesting – handling) until the industrial plant gate
Harvest
-herba could be harvested since the second year of culture, at
flowering. In the third, fourth years of culture, both aerial parts and
root (by hand or by machinery) could be harvested
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Drying naturally or artificially, at temperatures up to 35-45ºC. Drying
efficiency is about 4:1 for herba and 3:1 for roots.
Yields
Fresh production of herba may be about 5 / ha in the second year of
vegetation, and 10-12 t / ha in the coming years. 3.6-3.9 t/ ha for roots
Regulatory status
UK and Germany - Echinacea is included on the General sale List. E.
angustifolia root have a monograph in Ph Eur and British Ph.
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Major chemical constituents
-volatile oil, alkamides (more than 20), polyalkenes, polyalkynes,

caffeic acid derivatives (echinacoside, cichoric acid and cynarin, the
last one is present only in E. angustifolia, thus distinguishing it from
the closely related E. pallida) and polysaccharides.
•Pharmacological activity
-stimulator of the immune system based on over 350 scientific studies
in the past 50 years.
-anti-inflammatory activity (due to alkylamide composition)
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Other uses:
-Veterinary medicine
The research reports available suggest that Echinacea can be a
rational inclusion into livestock husbandry practices under appropriate
conditions, and may provide an effective alternative to subtherapeutic
antibiotics.
-Cosmetics
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Factors restricting growth and yielding potential
-great natural variation of Echinacea within a species → have a
tremendous effect on final product quality. Genetic and environmental
differences including variety, cultivation regions, harvest time, and
cultivation or processing conditions → diversity
-as regards quality control, Echinacea markers are unstable in juice,
during harvesting and drying, and in storage. Losses can be
minimized by rapid drying during harvest, protection from oxidation in
storage, and use of cooler storage temperatures.
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Research gaps
-varieties development by chemotype identification
-Improvement in phytochemical marker consistency
-developing studies concerning the efficacy of Echinacea as a
growth promoter and immune enhancer in productive livestock
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Lavandula angustifolia
Mill.(Lamiaceae) (lavender)
Areas of origin and current cultivation
(lavender)
It is a native species in Southeastern and Southwestern Europe and
naturalized elswhere in Europe and Africa.
Lavandula angustifolia is cultivated on small areas in Cyprus,
Estonia, Latvia and on large areas in Bulgaria (3959 ha), Italy (61%
of farms adopt organic techniques). Lavandin and lavender (4500ha)
cover 60% of the French planted acreage of medicinal, aromatic and
perfume plants. France produces 70% of the world supply for these
two crops.
Plant material of interest according to Ph Eur: dried flowers and
essential oil
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Growing conditions – input requirements
-perennial aromatic shrub
-requires high temperatures on germination - about 10-15ºC.
-During the winter months resists from -15ºC (winters without snow)
to -30ºC (covered with snow).
-supports drought well, thanks to a highly developed root system.
-light-loving plant, if it grows in sunny locations develops large bushes
and gather more volatile oil.
-high demands regarding the ground, it grows very well on different
soils, sandy or rocky limestone. Cold soils with excess moisture and
shallow groundwater are not suitable.
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Planting-multiplied by seed, seedlings or shrubs separation
Crop management
-Lavender produces well on soils that are nutrient deficient for most
other crops. Excessive applications of nitrogen can decrease oil
quality, make plants unhealthy and will increase weed competition.
-need for destruction of perennial weeds in first year
Pest and diseases
-species resistant to diseases and pests, but there are some diseases
such as Septoria, Botrys, spider mite if kept undercover in a dry
atmosphere, in the summer months.
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Logistics (harvesting – handling) until the industrial plant gate
Harvest
-at full bloom when volatile oil content is maximum, manually or with
special machines (reducing labor consumption per ha from 20
workers to 1 ha to 0.5 ha / hour mechanized harvesting)
Drying – natural in the shade or artificial. Drying efficiency is 5-7:1
Distillation
-Industrial production is made by water distillation, steam and water
distillation and steam distillation. Duration of distillation will be around
90 min and over 90% of the total amount of oil is distilled in the first
60 min.
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Yields
Fresh inflorescence production in the first 2-3 years is 2-3 t / ha and in
coming years can reach 5-6 t / ha. Up to 10 kg volatile oil could be
obtained per tonne of fresh inflorescences.
Regulatory status
Lavender is covered by a positive Comission E monograph. Is
officially in the British Ph and the European Ph. Lavender does have
generally recognised as safe (GRAS) status. International Standard
specification have been published for L. angustifolia oil (ISO
3515:2002).
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Major chemical constituents :1.0–3.0% essential oil, of which the
major constituents are linalyl acetate (30–55%)
and linalool (20–
50%); hydroxycinnamic acid esters (rosmarinic and chlorogenic acid).
Pharmacological activities for lavender flowers
Antimicrobial,
antioxidant,
antiulcer,
uterine
stimulating,
anticonvulsant and sedative
Pharmacological activities for lavender volatile oil
Anaesthetic,
anticonvulsant
and
sedative,
anti-inflammatory,
antimicrobial and acaricidal, antispasmodic activities, central nervous
system depressant effects
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Other uses:
-essential oil has a very wide range of applications, cosmetics –
soaps, perfumes, detergent and cleaning agent, food - flavouring,
repellent – acaricide and pediculicide effects and against mice
-the aromatic leaves and flowers are used in pot-pourri and as an
insect and mice repellent
-ornamental as a low hedge, responding well to trimming.
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Factors restricting growth and yielding potential
-improvement in oil quality by selection and breeding - there is a need
to increase the levels of linalyl-acetate and linalool by over 50%
- The yield of the oil may vary considerably from one season to the
next; the age of the bushes and the weather affect both the quantity
and quality of the product.
Research gaps
-new varieties adapted to local fields – for ex a new variety resistant
in drought and diseases, never watered and fertilized was created L.
angustifolia var etherio from native Greek plants
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Mentha x piperita L.
(Lamiaceae) (peppermint)
Areas of origin and current cultivation
Widely naturalized and widely cultivated. Commercially cultivated
in eastern and northern Europe and the United States of America.
Bulgaria (140 ha in 2002), Latvia (30ha), UK (~ 100ha), Hungary
(~ 50-150ha), Poland (organic 2 ha). In Germany, the cultivation
of peppermint leaf (Mentha x piperita) has a very long tradition.
(400 ha).
Plant material of interest according to Ph Eur: dried leaves
and volatile oil
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Growing conditions – input requirements
-Mentha x piperita is a hybrid mint, a cross between Mentha
aquatica and Mentha spicata. It is a perennial herb
-Plant vegetation begins in early spring at temperatures of 3-5ºC,
mint stolons being resistant up to -20°C temperatures.
-water is a limiting factor, it demands soil moisture.
-pretentious and towards light, because it influences volatile oil
accumulation in plants.
-grows very well on loose soil, permeable and well-supplied
nutrients, but it can be cultivated on any soil, in terms of irrigation.
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-valorise good organic fertilizer, because the roots are not welldeveloped and plant growth rate is very fast.
Planting
-is multiplied by stolons (stolons quantity harvested per hectare can
be a breeding material for 6 ha of new plantation) or by rooting stem
cuttings. It is advisable to plant mint either manually (15 to 17
workers/ha) or semi-mechanized (3 workers/ha).
Crop management
Irrigation on furrow and drip irrigation. Sprinkler irrigation is not
recommended.
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Diseases
Mint crops are associated with large numbers of pests and
pathogens
that
cause
substantial
damage
to
crops
and
considerable loss of oil
Logistics (harvesting – handling) until the industrial plant gate
Harvest
-for essential oil extraction, it must be harvested when 50% of
inflorescences are open; if the raw material will be a component of
tea, as dry material, then harvested when 30-40% the plants have
bloomed.
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Yields
Average yields are 10-20 t / ha fresh herba respectively 2.5 to 3 t / ha
dry herba or 1-3 t / ha of dry leaves.
Drying of the plant material will be made in the shade or artificially
Distillation
-steam distillation. 75% of volatile oil is obtained in the first hour
Regulatory status
Peppermint leaf is covered by a positive Comission E monograph and
is official in the European and British Ph. In US, peppermint does
have generally recognized as safe (GRAS) status. Standards
specifications have been published for oil (ISO 856:2006) and dried
leaves (ISO 5563:1984)
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Major chemical constituents : essential oil (0.5–4%), which contains
menthol (30–55%) and menthone (14–32%) and flavones. The
highest amount of menthol was found in Greek peppermint oil
(39,5%) and the smallest amount in Russian oil (1,5%). Estonian,
French and Hungarian oils contained 31,6-35,8% of menthol, Belgian
and Ukrainian oils 17,6% and 24,4%, respectively.
Pharmacologic activity for peppermint herb
Antimicrobial, choleretic, anti-oedema, analgesic activity
Pharmacologic activity for peppermint oil
Antimicrobial, antispasmodic activity, antifoaming activity
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Other uses:
-essential oil is used in perfumery and as ingredient of oral hygiene
preparations, toiletries etc.
-The whole plant repels insects, rats etc.
Factors restricting growth and yielding potential
-flavonoid pattern is influenced by the day lenght
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-the numbers of harvests/ year influence yield and composition of oil.
The essential oil from the first harvest is richer in menthol and in the
second harvest all the leaves have a higher menthone and lower
menthol content. Harvesting of peppermint only once at the stage of
full bloom give the maximum oil yield of good quality.
Research gaps
-designing of new varieties with enhanced resistance against fungal
attack and abiotic stress; somatic hybridization was aimed either at
modifying the composition of the oil or at combining essential oil
quality with disease resistance
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Plantago lanceolata L.
(Plantaginaceae) (ribwort plantain)
Areas of origin and current cultivation
Originally from Europe and northern and central Asia, Plantago
lanceolata is now cosmopolitan. Is a native species in most of the
European countries
Plant material of interest according to Ph Eur: dried leaves
Growing conditions – input requirements
-perennial rosette herb
-high ecological plasticity
-moderate demands regarding soil and climatic factors.
-resist well in drought and cold winters.
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Planting by seeds in autumn or spring
Crop management
-exploits nutrients from fertilizer, bringing special production
increases.
Pest and diseases
In plantain crops have not noticed important diseases or pests.
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Logistics (harvesting – handling) until the industrial plant gate
Harvest
Leaves should be harvested when they reached technical maturity,
before flower strains develop. The first harvest will be in May, and
until autumn there will be 3-4 more harvests.
Drying can be done in the shade or artificially, maximum
temperature 45-50ºC. Drying efficiency is 6:1.
Yields
The annual production which can be obtained is about 10-12 tonnes
of fresh leaves/ ha and 1.5 to 2 tonnes/ ha of dry leaves,
respectively.
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Regulatory status
Ribwort plantain leaf complies with the monograph of the European
and British Pharmacopoeia for ribwort plantain.
Major chemical constituents: mucilage polysaccharides, iridoid
glycosides (principally aucubin and catalpol) and not less than 1.5
percent of total ortho-dihydroxycinnamic acid derivatives, expressed
as acteoside.
Pharmacological activity
Ribwort
plantain
herb
exert
anti-inflammatory,
antibacterial,
spasmolytic and immunostimulatory effects.
The seeds are used in the treatment of parasitic worms.
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Other uses:
A good fibre is obtained from the leaves → suitable for textiles.
A mucilage from the seed coats is used as a fabric stiffener.

Gold and brown dyes are obtained from the whole plant.

The seed mucilage is an excellent thickener used in cosmetics

(e.g. in lotions and hair wave sets) and as a stabilizer in the icecream and chocolate industry.
The seeds can be used as a source of a low-cost gelling agent

for tissue culture. The quality is comparable to that of agar, but at
about 10% of the cost.
activity against plant-parasitic nematodes.

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it is currently being marketed as a stop smoking aid as it is said

that it causes an aversion to tobacco.
Leaves are sometimes eaten as vegetable; the plant is

occasionally grown as a fodder crop and considered to be of better
quality than P. major
Research gaps
-P. lanceolata may be transformed by Rhizobium rhizogenes in
order to synthesize phenylethanoid heterosides in the roots of
seedlings fed with cinnamic acid.
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4. Status of deliverables
& milestones
Results mentioned above
were delivered on time
to coordinator
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5. Problems encountered
•
The lack of public available data regarding
cultivated areas and yields.
•
In general, for MAPs, statistical data are presented
as a whole, not for every species of interest (is
difficult
to
gather
data
from
all
small-scale
cultivators and for all existent species)
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6. Plans for the next 6 months
Update report with relevant statistical data
concerning cultivation areas and yields
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THANK YOU !
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