Abstract
Screening new alternative vegetable oil sources as biodiesel feedstocks has attracted worldwide attention as world oil reserves decline and environmental concerns increase. Blessed thistle (Cnicus benedictus L.) has recently been identified as a multipurpose crop with optimal economic yield in poor soils. Blessed thistle was seeded into three different site soil conditions (site 1: silt clay loam, site 2: sandy loam, site 3: saline sandy loam) in eastern North Dakota, USA to evaluate agronomic performance and seed properties as well as biodiesel potential. The highest biomass and plant heights were obtained from the sandy loam soil, while plants grown in saline sandy loam soil had similar seed and oil yield, and similar oil content as plants grown in other site soil conditions. Biodiesel obtained from blessed thistle oil in the saline site was an excellent substitute for fossil fuels. The saline soil did not influence the blessed thistle oil yield; however, the saline soil did affect the fatty acid composition and biodiesel properties with some improvement in biodiesel quality. Results showed that blessed thistle was a promising species for biodiesel feedstock, especially for marginal soils such as the saline soil conditions in North Dakota.
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