Phenotypic Examination of Camelina sativa (L.) Crantz Accessions from the USDA-ARS National Genetics Resource Program

Abstract

Camelina sativa (L.) Crntz. is a hardy self-pollinated oilseed plant that belongs to the Brassicaceae family; widely grown throughout the northern hemisphere until the 1940s for production of vegetable oil but was later displaced by higher-yielding rapeseed and sunflower crops. However, interest in camelina as an alternative oil source has been renewed due to its high oil content that is rich in polyunsaturated fatty acids, antioxidants as well as its ability to grow on marginal lands with minimal requirements. For this reason, our group decided to screen the existing (2011) National Genetic Resources Program (NGRP) center collection of camelina for its genetic diversity and provide a phenotypic evaluation of the cultivars available. Properties evaluated include seed and oil traits, developmental and mature morphologies, as well as chromosome content. Selectable marker genes were also evaluated for potential use in biotech manipulation. Data is provided in a raw uncompiled format to allow other researchers to analyze the unbiased information for their own studies. Our evaluation has determined that the NGRP collection has a wide range of genetic potential for both breeding and biotechnological manipulation purposes. Accessions were identified within the NGRP collection that appear to have desirable seed harvest weight (5.06 g/plant) and oil content (44.1%). Other cultivars were identified as having fatty acid characteristics that may be suitable for meal and/or food use, such as low (<2%) erucic acid content, which is often considered for healthy consumption and ranged from a high of 4.79% to a low of 1.83%. Descriptive statistics are provided for a breadth of traits from 41 accessions, as well as raw data, and key seed traits are further explored. Data presented is available for public use.

Yield-Related Traits of 20 Spring Camelina Genotypes Grown in a Multi-Environment Study in Serbia

“…The strongest correlations were observed with NSCP, NSP, and MSP, which indicates that taller camelina plants achieved higher seed yields. These observations agree with those made in other studies [25,26,34].…”

“…The response of quantitative yield components to varied environmental conditions is determined by the additive main effects of genotype (G) and environmental conditions (E), as well as by the non-additive effects of genotype by environment (G × E) interactions [25]. The non-additive effect G × E interactions are well described by the additive main effects and multiplicative interaction model (AMMI), which is widely used in plant breeding.…”

“…HFB can to some extent be used to determine which branching pattern a camelina genotype possesses. In the study [25], four branching patterns were identified (W, X, Y, and Z-type). Top heavy branching (W-type) with secondary branching was the most common for camelina plants in this study.…”

“…Thus, these genotypes most likely belong to the Yor Z-type. For accurate determination of the genotype branching pattern, plants should be grown under controlled conditions where they can freely express their genetic potential without any interference from the environment [25].…”

Genetic dissection of natural variation in oilseed traits of camelina by whole‐genome resequencing and QTL mapping

“…Recent advancements in genome science, especially the next‐generation sequencing technologies, have dramatically empowered the dissection of quantitative traits (Nguyen et al., 2019). In camelina, limited studies have found wide ranges of genetic and trait variations among different genotypes including natural accessions and breeding lines, which may provide valuable resources to understand the genetic mechanisms underlying its natural variation and to improve the agronomics and productivity of this crop (Hotton et al., 2020; Luo et al., 2019; Vollmann et al., 2007).…”