Impact of Heat Stress on Field Pennycress Seed Yield and Pollen Viability

Field pennycress (Thlapsi arvense L.) is a new crop being investigated for its potential as a possible off season source for biodiesel. Related to the Brassica species of mustard and canola, winter annual field pennycress is also susceptible to heat stress during the reproductive stage of development. The objective of this study was to determine at what temperature seed development was inhibited in pennycress. The hypothesis of our experiment is that pollen viability becomes diminished as temperatures rise above 30 o C as seen in the 2012 growing season.