Domestication and engineering of pennycress (Thlaspi arvense L.): challenges and opportunities for sustainable bio-based feedstocks

Pennycress, as an emerging oilseed crop with high oil content, faces challenges but offers potential for sustainable bioproducts; ongoing research aims to enhance its traits and quality.

Pennycress (Thlaspi arvense L.) is an emerging oilseed crop with many advantages, such as high seed oil (27–39%) and monounsaturated fatty acid (55.6%) content, making it an attractive candidate to produce sustainable bioproducts. However, several challenges are associated with domesticating pennycress, including high silicle shatter, which reduces seed yield during harvest, non-uniformed germination rate and high contents of erucic acid and glucosinolates, which have adverse health effects on humans and animals. Pennycress, which can be easily and rapidly transformed using the floral dip method under vacuum, can achieve trait improvements. Ongoing research for pennycress domestication using mutation breeding, including ethylmethylsulfonate treatment and genome editing, aims to improve its quality. Pennycress can be used as an excellent platform for producing industrially important fatty acids such as hydroxy and epoxy fatty acids and docosahexaenoic acid. In conclusion, pennycress is a promising oilseed crop with multiple advantages and potential applications. Continuous improvements in quality and engineering for producing high-value bio-based feedstocks in pennycress will establish it as a sustainable and economically valuable crop.