This is lesquerella, a desert plant whose pods contain tiny seeds that can be crushed to make a potent oil for cooking or use in pharmaceuticals. It is one of several specialty crops grown at the Maricopa Agricultural Center in Maricopa, operated by the University of Arizona.

Dennis Mitchell / Cronkite News Service

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MARICOPA — Someone driving by the Maricopa Agricultural Center might see only acres of unremarkable desert plants.

Bob Roth sees the future of desert farming.

A shrublike plant called guayule can produce hypoallergenic latex. Lesquerella, a small plant with yellow flowers, yields a powerful oil that can be used for cooking and in pharmaceuticals. The long, green stalks of hesperaloe have strong fibers that can be used in paper products.

The 2,100-acre University of Arizona facility focuses on native desert plants that can be turned into profitable specialty crops, a segment that state officials say accounts for 35 percent to 40 percent of Arizona's $9.2 billion agriculture industry.

"When I think of specialty crops, I think of new crops," said Roth, the center's resident director.

According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the total value of specialty crops in the United States is $49 billion, which exceeds the $45.8 billion value of the five traditional crops: corn, wheat, soybeans, rice and cotton.

Arizona is the fifth-largest specialty crop grower in the nation, growing everything from lettuce, spinach and broccoli to cantaloupe, grapes and gourds.

The state is a prime location for specialty crops because the climate allows year-round production, according to Ed Hermes, Arizona Department of Agriculture public information officer.

The center's research goes beyond traditional specialty crops such as vegetables, fruits and nuts; it researches desert plants that can be grown only in certain arid climates such as Arizona's.

"We've taken crops that have adapted to this region, and that's what we are working with," Roth said.

One particularly successful plant is guayule (pronounced why-YOU-lee). Yulex Corp., headquartered in Carlsbad, Calif., uses the plant to make latex and rubber.

"It could be a very big boost to (Arizona's) economy, and it could be very important to the medical industry," Roth said.

In 2004, Yulex opened the first commercial plant to produce natural rubber in the United States at the Maricopa Agricultural Center. Last month, the company announced that it will sell the bio-based latex it makes from guayule to a medical device manufacturer that will use it to produce hypoallergenic catheters.

"The market and demand for this material in the medical industry is enormous," said Yulex spokeswoman Betsy Brottlund. "Currently, Yulex is also developing products for other industries that benefit from the material, such as the biofuels and tire markets looking for an alternative to the rubber (from) overseas."

In addition to allergy-free latex products for medical gloves, catheters and condoms, Yulex is looking at guayule for uses in alternative fuels and termite-repellent additives for wood, Brottlund said.

The center has been researching guayule for nearly 30 years, Roth said. Guayule research began during World War II when the government was afraid of losing access to natural rubber, which is imported from Southeast Asia. Much of the original research was done in Yuma, Roth said.

The other two plants grown at the center are promising, according to Roth, but they have not yet reached the level of success of guayule.

Lesquerella's pea-sized pods reveal tiny seeds that can be crushed to make an oil that Roth said is like "castor bean oil on steroids." Castor bean oil is used in a variety of products, from cooking oils to motor oils to pharmaceuticals.

The center also researches the potential of hesperaloe's strong fibers, which can be used to create paper products.

Specialty crops have received national attention in recent months after U.S. Agriculture Secretary Mike Johanns announced a proposal in the 2007 farm bill that includes nearly $5 billion in funding for specialty crop assistance, marketing and research.