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Common Name: Abyssinian Kale

General Information

Crambe abyssinica is an annual plant that can grow up to 1.00 metres tall.
It is harvested from the wild for local use as a source of materials.

Known Hazards

None known

Botanical References

Range

N. Africa to Turkey.

Habitat

Not known

Properties

Habit	Annual
Height	1.00 m
Cultivation Status	Wild

Cultivation Details

The plant does best on medium-light to heavy soils that are fertile and well drained, though poor sandy soils may be used if nutrients are provided[]. Crambe is reported to tolerate an annual precipitation of 35 to 120cm, an average annual temperature range of 5.7 to 16.2°C and a pH in the range of 5.0 to 7.8[].
A cool season crop, it is well-adapted as a spring crop in wheat-growing areas of the Pacific north-western United States. A spring and fall crop can be grown, e.g. in Indiana. Grown as far south as Venezuela and as far north as Sweden and Leningrad. In the seedling stage, it survives temperatures down to -5°C. It fares poorly where weeds are a problem.
Plants are highly sensitive to low temperatures both at sowing and at harvest[]. Newer cultivars have more tolerance to lower temperatures, with some varieties in Britain having tolerated a few hours with temperatures slightly below freezing without harmful effects upon overall yields[].
Drought strees during flowering or seed set can reduce yields and lower the oil content of the seeds[].
Plants take from 83 - 105 days from sowing to harvest[]. Heavy crops have been produced successfully in Britain, though they have sometimes taken longer to mature in poor seasons[].

Edible Uses

None known

Medicinal

None known

Other Uses

The oil from the seed contains erucic acid. It is used for lighting and making plastics[]. The seed oil is one of the richest known sources of erucic acid and crambe appears to be a better potential domestic crop than rapeseed[]. It is the cheapest source of erucic acid, which performs better than any known material as a mold lubricant in continuous steel casting[]. It is also in demand for making 'Nylon 1313', a tough form of nylon used for moulded plastic, for articles as bearings and heavy fibres in brushes, as an additive in plastic films to prevent sheets from sticking together, in plasticizers to keep them soft and flexible[].
Yields vary widely from 1,125-1,624 kg/ha in Russia and 450-2,522 kg/ha in the United States, with yields highest in weed-free fields. In irrigated fields with additional nitrogen, yields up to 5 tonnes per hectare have been attained[]. As crambe is a new crop, only limited data are available. However, yield figures and specific demand for the oil indicate crambe is a potential oilseed crop of good economic value. In 1972, about 700 hectares were cultivated, mainly in Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio. Many countries in Europe are also experimenting with crambe as a possible new crop[]. The first-formed seedpods remain on the plant until the last pods are formed, thus making it easy to harvest the full crop without loss[].
Crambe meal, made from the seed residues after the oil has been removed, is used as plywood and rubber adhesive, as a source of protein isolates, and as an additive to waxes[].
Phytoremediation may serve as a cost-effective means to reduce the levels of toxic elements in contaminated soils. The ability of four members of the Brassicaceae, Brassica juncea, Brassica carinata, Brassica nigra and Crambe abyssinca, to tolerate and accumulate arsenic was examined. Plants grown hydroponically were treated with 10 or 20 mg/ L arsenate for two weeks. Plant growth, development of toxicity symptoms and tissue levels of arsenic were examined. All four species exhibited a reduction in growth relative to controls when treated with 20 mg/L As, but lacked severe toxicity symptoms. Arsenic accumulation in leaves ranged from 15+0.5 mg/dry g (B. carinata) to 82+28 mg/dry g (C. abyssinica) after a two-week treatment with 10 ppm arsenate. C. abyssinica shows the greatest potential for use in the phytoremediation of arsenic.

Propagation

Seed - sow early to mid spring in a seedbed outdoors and either thin the plants out or move them to their permanent positions when about 10cm tall[]. The young plants are very attractive to slugs so some protection will often be needed.
Germination can be slow so it is best to sow the seed in pots in a cold frame[]. Germination usually takes place in 3 - 26 weeks at 15°c[]. Prick out the seedlings into individual pots as soon as they are large enough to handle and plant out into their permanent positions when they are at least 10cm tall.
Division in spring or autumn[, ]. Dig up the root clump and cut off as many sections as you require, making sure they all have at least one growing point. The larger of these divisions can be planted out straight into their permanent positions, though small ones are best potted up and grown on in a cold frame until they are established.
Root cuttings, 3 - 10 cm long, in spring[]. These can be planted straight into the open ground or you can pot them up in the greenhouse and plant them out once they are growing strongly.