ST. PAUL, Alta. – Echinacea growers could waste a lot of time and money if they don’t ensure their crop is pure, according to one producer.
“If it isn’t perfect some buyers won’t take it, but if it is good they’ll pay a good price for it,” said Jim Marles of West Country Herbs.
There are nine species of echinacea but the angustifolia variety will make the most money for producers, said Marles, adding the price is about $60 a pound and holding.
A good crop of angustifolia echinacea, which sees the most profit in its third year, can provide a gross return of $100,000 per acre, said Marles, who spoke at a crop diversification conference on March 8.
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However, seeding the wrong variety could mean buyer rejection.
“You could end up selling it for pet food,” said Marles, adding many large-scale buyers test the product before buying it from farmers.
He once ordered angustifolia seed but had to send it back because the quality was questionable. With the high cost of seed and the huge amount of labor involved in echinacea crops, farmers should make sure they’re getting what they want, he stressed.
The best way to ensure that is by getting a genetic study done, said Hameed Khadhair of the Alberta Research Council.
For the cost of materials, researchers will study a seedling’s DNA to determine which species of echinacea they’re dealing with. Researchers will also be able to tell whether the seedling is a hybrid that comes from mixed sources, said Khadhair.
Other methods to distinguish varieties do exist but are less than perfect, he said. Scientists can do a chromosome count but need to study a plant that’s already in the flower stage, meaning a lengthy wait for producers.
Chemical content tests are expensive and require plenty of root tissue, said Khadhair. Since chemical levels may vary with growing conditions, the tests are often inconclusive, he added.
Producers growing different varieties of echinacea must ensure they are three to four kilometres apart so cross pollination doesn’t occur, said Marles.
Maintaining a high quality product is key.
“It takes you years to build a good reputation and only days to destroy it.”
