Species Trials With Oilseed Plants: Ii. Camelina

Abstract

Camelina, a member of the mustard family, exceeded flax and rape in yield of seed per acre at Ottawa, Ontario, and at Fort Vermilion, Alberta. The oil content of the 10 varieties in the test ranged from 34.3 to 38.7 per cent at Ottawa and from 37.1 to 42.0 per cent at Fort Vermilion. The average fatty acid composition in percentage of methyl esters was: palmitate 5.0; stearate 2.1; behenic 1.7; palmitoleic, trace; oleic 14.8; linoleic 16.4; linolenic 36.1; eicosenoic 17.5; eicosadienoic 2.3; erucic 3.7. The seed contained 33.1 per cent protein, 9.6 per cent crude fiber, only a trace of isothiocyanate, and no thiooxazolidone.Camelina matured 3 to 4 weeks earlier than flax. This is a valuable characteristic for northern areas as it would prevent damage by early fall frost and would permit extending the northern limits of the oilseed-producing area.

Agronomic and seed quality evaluation of Camelina sativa in western Canada

“…Similar effects of location on yield of these oilseed species in Canada were reported by Plessers et al (1962), who conducted field trials from 1958 to 1960 at Fort Vermilion, Alberta and Ottawa, Ontario. More recent trials conducted in Austria (Vollmann et al 1996), Australia (Francis and Campbell 2003), Germany (Marquard and Kuhlmann 1986), the United States (Putnam et al 1993) and jointly in Canada and Germany (Paul et al 2000) confirm these findings.…”

“…A 30-yr research program initiated in Minnesota in the mid-20th century added significantly to the body of knowledge on cultivation and use of C. sativa in the United States (Robinson 1987). Trials conducted in Canada from 1958 to 1960 (Plessers et al 1962) produced results similar to those obtained in the United States and led to the suggestion that camelina be given serious consideration as a potential oilseed crop for northern latitudes. However, in spite of all the favourable reports, a market for the seed was lacking (Robinson 1987).…”

“…Furthermore, the effects of late maturity also reduced the yields of B. napus and, to some extent, B. juncea in the later-seeded trials at Beaverlodge since frost and desiccation late in the growing season prevented these species from realizing their full yield potential. In general, the yield of C. sativa has been competitive with the yields of Brassica oilseeds (Plessers et al 1962;Robinson 1987;Putnam et al 1993;Francis and Campbell 2003). Losses in yield of C. sativa caused by shattering (Plessers et al 1962) or fruit dehiscence (Angelini et al 1997) was not a significant problem in our trials.…”

“…In general, the yield of C. sativa has been competitive with the yields of Brassica oilseeds (Plessers et al 1962;Robinson 1987;Putnam et al 1993;Francis and Campbell 2003). Losses in yield of C. sativa caused by shattering (Plessers et al 1962) or fruit dehiscence (Angelini et al 1997) was not a significant problem in our trials. primarily oleic (12.8-14.7%), linoleic (16.3-17.2%), linolenic (36.2-39.4%) and eicosenoic (14.0-15.5%), with lesser amounts of erucic (2.5-3.1%) and other unsaturated fatty acids; saturated fatty acids constituted 8.7 to 9.6% of the total fatty acids and included primarily palmitic (4.6-5.2%) and stearic (2.2-2.5%) acid.…”

“…However, few agronomic evaluations of C. sativa have been conducted in western Canada and little published information is available for this region. Plessers et al (1962) and Paul et al (2000) reported a limited amount of yield and seed quality data from two locations in Alberta; however, significant effects of environment on seed yield (Vollmann et al 1996;Francis and Campbell 2003) and quality (Zubr and Matthäus 2002;Zubr 2003) make it inappropriate to conclude that the performance of C. sativa would be similar at other locations in western Canada. Additional variation in agronomic and seed quality traits also may be discovered by evaluating more accessions in different environments, thereby providing valuable information for breeding programs.…”