CORN GROMWELL
Other Common Names Include:
Field Gromwell, Bastard Alkanet
Latin Name: Lithospermum arvense (syn. Buglossoides arvensis)
Plant Family: Boraginaceae
Close Relatives: Borage
Uses and Markets: Culinary/Medicinal: oil is an excellent source of stearidonic acid which is converted in the body to omega-3 fatty acids.
Production Life Cycle in Ontario
Annual.
Hardiness Zone
Special Notes
Little agronomic information is available for this plant. Corm gromwell is native to Europe and Asia, and is known in North America and Australia as an introduced species. It is a common weed in arable fields.
Propagation method
Seeds. Plant at a depth of 2.5cm.
Greenhouse Seeding/Propagation Dates
N/A
Field Seeding Date:
Mid to late spring.
Field Transplanting Dates
N/A
In-row spacing
Adjust to compensate for germination rate and 1000 seed weight.
Between row spacing
N/A
Optimal Soil temperature at planting
>5°C
Fertility
No current Ontario fertility recommendations exist. Research and recommendations from outside Ontario do not necessarily apply to Ontario growing conditions. Research from other jurisdictions indicates a nitrogen (N) requirement of 50 kg N/ha. Corn gromwell is not related to any traditional crops with established phosphorus (P) and potassium (K) recommendations in Ontario. Start with average requirements for traditional field crops and adjust over time based on on-farm research trials.
Soil type
Medium to light well-drained soils.
Soil pH
Acidic to alkaline, pH 5-8.
Special requirements for growth habit
None.
Optimal Temperature Range
N/A
Temperature sensitivity
Frost tolerant.
Irrigation requirements
Irrigation not usually required.
Days to harvest
100 days (estimated).
Specialized equipment
None.
Harvest
Harvest Scheduling
Single harvest.
Hand harvest or machine harvest
Mechanical harvest.
Quality parameters/grades
No established grades. Quality is determined by the market.
Additional Harvest Notes
Corn gromwell retains its seed well and can be direct combined.
Post harvest
Special handling/curing
N/A
Storage Conditions
Relative humidity (RH): N/A
Temperature: N/A
Air Exchange: N/A
Duration: N/A
Specific pests observed on this crop in Ontario (observations based on limited experience with this crop)
Unknown – limited to no production of this crop in Ontario to date.
Other Potential Pests: The following pests have not been observed on this crop in Ontario. However, they are either significant concerns for closely related plants in Ontario, or are reported on this crop in other production areas. This is not a comprehensive list of all potential pests. Not all of these pests will necessarily survive Ontario’s climate, but could potentially survive in a protected environment (e.g. greenhouse, storage facility).
See comments.
*Indicates pests commonly mentioned as causing significant damage or economic loss to this crop in other regions.
Comments
There is minimal information on the pests that attack this crop. No specific pests have been reported in the available literature. This crop is not in a crop group. For more information on Crop Groups, refer to the Pest section. There are few to no pest control products registered on this crop. Always refer to product labels, and follow all directions specified on the label, before applying any pest control product. For more information, consult an OMAFRA specialist.
None
- Todd, J. and E. Elford. 2014. Southwestern Ontario industrial crop demonstration trials. Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs, unpublished.
- Abram, M. 2011. Corn gromwell: a weed no longer: an arable weed could become an omega-3 oil-producing spring crop option. Crops 12 (4): 4.
- Bently, S. Corn Gromwell. A new oil crop for UK farmers, containing stearidonic acid (SDA), an omega-3 fatty acid from plants with the health benefit of fish oils.
