Utilization and agronomic studies of cow cockle (Saponaria vaccaria)

Conclusions

Preliminary work on cow cockle seed suggests that this species may have an unusual new starch which could have certain special applications. Inability to produce good yields of flour and difficulty encountered in using Dimler’s process suggests that some type of modified wet-milling technique should be used on this starch source which might permit recovery of adequate amounts of starch so that its properties could be thoroughly investigated. Investigations on milling and chemical properties are continuing in our laboratories.

Preliminary agronomic evaluations suggest that this species could be handled with current farm equipment. With essentially no studies on adaptation, management or development of superior genotypes, it is surprising that this plant produced 40% of the yield of the best adapted Montana barley variety and up to 71% in one instance. Evaluation of three sources indicate that variability for plant height, germination, seed size, and flowering dates exist. This indicates that even among these three genotypes sufficient variation exists to provide some genotype improvement through a crossing and selection program.