Sea Buckthorn: New Crop Opportunity
Thomas S.C. Li
- BOTANY
- NUTRACEUTICAL
VALUES
- NEW
CULTIVAR: INDIAN-SUMMER
- SEA
BUCKTHORN CULTIVATION
- CONCLUSION
- REFERENCES
Sea buckthorn (Hippophae rhamnoides L.,
Elaeagnaceae) is a winter hardy, deciduous shrub with yellow or orange berries
(Bailey and Bailey 1978). It develops an extensive root system rapidly and is
therefore an ideal plant for preventing soil erosion and land reclamation. It
can withstand temperatures from –43° to 40°C (Lu 1992). It is considered to be
drought resistant (Heinze and Fiedler 1981); however, irrigation is needed in
regions receiving <400 mm of rainfall per year for better growth (Li and
Schroeder 1996).
BOTANY
Sea buckthorn is a dioecious multi-branched,
thorny shrub, reaching 2 to 4 m in height with stout branches forming a round
often symmetrical head. It has brown or black rough bark and a thick
grayish-green crown (Rousi 1971). Staminate and pollinate flowers are
inconspicuous appearing before the leaves. Leaves are alternate, narrow 4 to 6
cm long, and lanceolate with a silver-grey color on the upper side (Synge
1974). Flower buds are formed mostly on 2-year-old wood, differentiated during
the previous growing season. Fruit is subglobose, 6 to 10 mm long and 4 to 6 mm
in diameter, turning yellow to orange when mature in mid Sept. The root system
is characterized by nitrogen fixing nodules (Akkermans et al. 1983).
NUTRACEUTICAL VALUES
Sea buckthorn can be used for many purposes and
has momentous economic potential. It has been used for centuries in Europe and Asia.
Recently, it has attracted considerable attention from researchers around the
world, including North America, mainly for its
nutritional and medicinal value. The fruits are rich in carbohydrates, protein,
organic acids, amino acids and vitamins. The concentration of vitamin C in sea
buckthorn fruit, ranged from 100–300 mg/100 g fruit, is higher than strawberry,
kiwi, orange, tomato, carrot, and hawthorn (Bernath and Foldesi 1992; Lu 1992).
Sea buckthorn is also high in protein, especially globulins and albumins, and
fatty acids such as linoleic and linolenic acids. Vitamin E content in sea
buckthorn (202.9 mg/100 g fruit) is higher than wheat embryo, safflower, maize,
and soybean.
Medicinal uses of sea buckthorn are well
documented in Asia and Europe.
Clinical tests on medicinal uses were first initiated in Russia during the 1950s (Gurevick
1956). Sea buckthorn oil was formally listed in the Pharmacopoeia in 1977 and
clinically tested in Russia
and China
(Xu 1994). The most important pharmacological functions attributed to sea
buckthorn oil are: anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial, pain relief, and promoting
regeneration of tissues. Sea buckthorn oil is also touted as a treatment for
oral mucositis, rectum mucositis, vaginal mucositis, cervical erosion,
radiation damage, burns, scalds, duodenal ulcers, gastric ulcers, chilblains,
skin ulcers caused by malnutrition, and other skin damage. More than ten
different drugs have been developed from sea buckthorn in Asia
and Europe and are available in different
forms, such as liquids, powders, plasters, films, pastes, pills, liniments,
suppositories, and aerosols. Sea buckthorn oil extracted from seeds is popular
in cosmetic preparations, such as facial cream (Li and Wang 1998). In Europe and Asia, there
are numerous products made from sea buckthorn, such as tea from leaves,
beverages and jam from fruits, fermented products from pulp, and animal feeds
from leaves, pulp, and seed residues.
NEW CULTIVAR: INDIAN-SUMMER
A new cultivar in Canada, 'Indian-Summer', is
being released by the Prairie Farm Rehabilititation Administration (PFRA),
Shelterbelt Center at Indian Head, Saskatchewan in co-operation with the
Pacific Agri-Food Research Center, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, at
Summerland, British Columbia (Schroeder et al. 1996). It is a seed-propagated
cultivar that originates from a hedge located at the PFRA Shelterbelt
Center. This accession
was obtained from the Morden Research Station, Morden, Manitoba
in 1963 as rooted cuttings. The original plants are growing in a seed block at
the Shelterbelt Center. The progeny has been tested as
Accession E5098 in advanced evaluation and field plantings to determine soil
and climatic adaptation.
'Indian-Summer' is well adapted to growing
conditions on the Canadian prairies. In the last 20 years, it was tested at 12
sites in Manitoba
and Saskatchewan
and 'Indian-Summer' performed well on a variety of soils including moderately
saline sites. It shows above average drought tolerance and is fully hardy
(Ouellet and Sherk 1967). The most limiting factor affecting growth and
survival was weed competition. After twenty growing seasons, the height of established
plants ranged from 3 to 4 m (Schroeder and Walker 1994). Indian-Summer will not
tolerate prolonged flooding or poorly drained soils. Fruit production ranged
from 4 to 5 kg per shrub. Analysis of fruit samples showed average ascorbic
acid content of 165 mg/100 g of fruit. Seed oil content averaged 11.9% and
contained 31.2% protein, 88.3% to 89.1% unsaturated fatty acids, particularity
linolenic acid (32.3%), linoleic acid (40.8%), and oleic acid (15%). Other
constituents of the seed oil included gamma and alpha tocopherol.
Based on performance studies conducted by the PFRA Shelterbelt
Center the projected area
of adaptation for 'Indian-Summer' sea buckthorn was determined to be the
prairie and boreal plain ecozones of Alberta,
Saskatchewan
and Manitoba
(Ecological Stratification Working Group 1994). The average annual
precipitation of the area of adaptation ranges from 300 to 500 mm. The average
annual temperature ranges from 0°C to 3.5°C, average frost-free period is 85 to
130 days. The plant hardiness zones (Ouellet and Sherk 1967) include zones 1a,
1b, 2a, 2b, 3a, and 3b. The annual minimum temperatures range from –40°C to
–50°C.
SEA BUCKTHORN
CULTIVATION
Recently, sea buckthorn has been recommended for
orchard-type cultivation in British
Columbia and the prairie provinces. Sea buckthorn normally is
transplanted or directly seeded in the spring. It grows best in deep, well
drained, sandy loam soil with ample organic matter. In arid or semiarid areas,
water must be supplied for establishment. Soil acidity and alkalinity, except
at extreme levels, are not limiting factors, although it thrives best at pH 6
to 7. Sea buckthorn is sensitive to severe soil moisture deficits, especially
in spring when plants are flowering and young fruits are beginning to develop
(Li and McLoughlin 1997). Sea buckthorn, like other crops, requires adequate
soil nutrients for a high yield of good-quality fruit. It responds well to
phosphorus fertilizer. Nitrogen fertilization can adversely affect root
nodulation and it delays the development of nodules after inoculation with Frankia.
Recommended plant spacing for sea buckthorn is 1
m within the row and 4 m between rows to allow equipment access, with rows
oriented in a north-south direction to provide maximum light. The ratio of male
to female plants is important for maximizing the number of fruit-bearing trees.
Recommendations for male:female ratios vary with plant density and region. In British Columbia, with
an orchard planting of 4000 trees/ha, a 1:6 to 1:8 male:female ratio is
considered adequate. Moderate pruning of sea buckthorn will increase the yield
and reduce fluctuation of fruiting from year to year. The crown should be
pruned annually to remove overlapping branches, and long branches should be
headed to encourage development of lateral shoots. Weed control is very
important in sea buckthorn plantings, especially for promoting growth of newly
planted seedlings (Li and McLoughlin 1997).
CONCLUSION
Sea buckthorn is an unique and valuable plant
species currently being domesticated in various parts of the world. The species
has been used to a limited extent in North America
for conservation plantings, but the use of food and non-food sea buckthorn
products has not been pursued. The plants are easily propagated and yields are
relatively high, and production is reliable, with the potential market mainly
in Europe at the moment. Most sea buckthorn
research has been conducted in Asia and Europe in the past and Canada has increased its research
recently. Unique plant products, especially those with proven nutritional
quality, are gaining popularity in North America.
Development of a North American sea buckthorn industry presents a unique
opportunity for agricultural production of a value-added crop on marginal land.
REFERENCES
·
Akkermans, A.D.L., W. Roelofsen, J. Blom, K.
Hussdanell, and R. Harkink. 1983. Utilization of carbon and nitrogen compounds
of Frankia in synthetic media and in root nodules of Alnus glutinosa,
Hippophae rhamnoides and Datisca cannabina. Can. J. Bot. 61:2793–2800.
·
Bailey, L.H. and E.Z. Bailey. 1978. Hortus
third, A concise dictionary of plants cultivated in the United States and Canada. McMillan Publ. Co., New York.
·
Bernath, J. and D. Foldesi. 1992. Sea
buckthorn (Hippophae rhamnoides L.): a promising new medicinal and food
crop. J. Herbs Spices Med. Plants 1:27–35.
·
Gurevick, S.K. 1956. The application of sea
buckthorn oil on ophthalmology. Vesttn. Ottamologu 2:30–33.
·
Heinze, M. and H.J. Fiedler. 1981. Experimental
planting of potash waste dumps. I. Communication: Pot experiments with trees
and shrubs under various water and nutrient conditions. Archiv Acker Pflanzen.
Bodenkunde 25:315–322.
·
Li, T.S.C. and C. McLoughlin. 1997. Sea
buckthorn production guide. Canada Sea Buckthorn Enterprises Ltd. Peachland, British
Columbia.
·
Li, T.S.C. and W.R. Schroeder. 1996. Sea
buckthorn (Hippophae rhamnoides L.): A multipurpose plant.
HortTechnology 6:370–380.
·
Li, T.S.C. and L.C.H. Wang. 1998. Physiological
components and health effects of ginseng, echinacea and sea buckthorn. In: G.
Mazza (ed.), Functional foods, biochemical & processing aspects. Technomic
Publ. Co. Inc., Lancaster, PA.
·
Lu, R. 1992. Sea buckthorn: A multipurpose plant
species for fragile mountains. Int. Centre for Integrated Mountain Development,
Katmandu, Nepal.
·
Ouellet, C.E. and L. Sherk. 1967. Woody
ornamental plant zonation. III. Suitability map for probable winter survival of
ornamental trees and shrubs. Can.
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·
Rousi, A. 1971. The genus Hippophae L. A
taxonomic study. Ann. Bot. Fennici 8:177–227.
·
Schroeder, W.R. and D.S. Walker. 1994.
Performance of twenty-four tree and shrub species after twenty-five growing
seasons. Report of the PFRA Shelterbelt Centre, Indian Head, SK. p. 14–15.
·
Schroeder, W. R., T.S.C. Li, and D.S. Walker. 1996.
Indian-Summer sea buckthorn. Agriculture & Agri-Food Canada,
PFRA Shelterbelt Centre. Supplementary Report.
·
Synge, P.M. 1974. Dictionary of gardening: A
practical and scientific encyclopaedia of horticulture. 2nd ed. Clarendon
Press, Oxford.
·
Xu, M. 1994. The medical research and
exploitation of sea buckthorn. Hippophae 7:32–34
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