EDMONTON – Alberta crop researchers hope a plant used to increase endurance in Russian cosmonauts, Olympic athletes and soldiers in Afghanistan will give Alberta farmers a boost.
Rhodiola rosea, a tough, rubbery-looking plant that thrives in Alberta’s cold winters and long days, is becoming a popular health food product.
By 2010, the Alberta government wants 370 acres of rhodiola rosea under cultivation in combination with a strong processing operation, said Kwesi Ampong-Nyarko, a research scientist with Alberta Agriculture’s research division.
“Our objective is to have a field to medicine cabinet approach,” said Ampong-Nyarko, whose job is to figure out how the plant grows, ideal spacing width, herbicide use and harvesting techniques.
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Last year, project organizers gave away 500,000 seedlings to help establish the industry. This year they gave out another 400,000 seedlings and hope the seedlings will reduce startup costs for farmers and develop a strong base of growers. There are now 48 growers across the province, mainly in a region between Edmonton and the Peace River that has long summer daylight hours.
The plant has already outshone echinacea as a better crop for the Prairies. After four years of study in plots at the Crop Development Centre North outside Edmonton, only 10 percent of echinacea plants have survived. Meanwhile, rhodiola has shown the ability to thrive. The perennial plant is one of the first plants out of the ground in the spring.
Rhodiola rosea is known as an adaptogen, a product that helps the body cope with stress. Its root and crown contain the active ingredient rosavins, which is used in the health food industry and is expected to reach a value of $80 to $120 million.
Until recently, the plant has been collected only from wild areas of Russia. With depleting native sources and increasing demand, agriculture officials hope Alberta farmers will be able to fill the demand.
Ampong-Nyarko found native rhodiola plants in the Rocky Mountains, but they were not the same variety used in the health-care products. The seeds for the project come from Finland. They’re grown in the greenhouse in January and planted as seedlings in the field in June. The plant takes three to five years to reach maturity, which is when the roots are harvested.
Last year, Monica and David Blaeser of Millet, Alta., planted 80,000 seedlings and another 80,000 this year.
“I believe it’s going to be as big as echinacea,” Monica said.
As an alternative health-care provider, about one third of Monica’s clients suffer from stress-related illness, burnout and depression. She believes rhodiola has positive benefits.
“It enhances your mental health,” said Blaeser, who hopes to unite other growers to form a processing co-operative to fill the growing demand for the product.
Gordon Steinraths has been growing rhodiola for four years on his Barrhead farm. When he returned to the family farm he saw it as an alternative to traditional crops.
“It’s an extremely hardy plant,” Steinraths said.
“Its survival rate is incredible.”
Some three-year-old root harvested last fall and analyzed over the winter showed high levels of rosavins. The longer the plant grows, the higher the levels of rosavins. The balancing act for farmers is to delay harvest until the levels are high, but not leave the plant too long to make the crop uneconomical.
Steinraths and his brother have about seven acres of crop seeded and expect the demand for the natural health product to soon outstrip supply.
