Camelina Seed Yield and Fatty Acids as Influenced by Genotype and Environment

Abstract

Camelina (Camelina sativa L. Crantz) is an alternative oilseed crop with potential for fallow replacement in dryland cerealbased crop production systems in the semiarid Great Plains. Th e interaction between genotype and environment was investigated on camelina seed yield, oil content, and fatty acid composition across two locations in the U.S. Great Plains. Treatments were three spring camelina genotypes (cultivars Blaine Creek, Pronghorn, and Shoshone), three growing seasons (2013, 2014, and 2015) and two locations (at Hays, KS, and Moccasin, MT). Results showed camelina grown at Hays yielded 54% less than that at Moccasin. Blaine Creek yielded 17 and 42% more than Pronghorn and Shoshone at Hays but yields were not diff erent among genotypes at Moccasin. Oil content ranged from 262 g kg -1 at Hays to 359 g kg -1 at Moccasin. Th e proportion of polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) ranged from 51% at Hays to 55% at Moccasin, whereas monounsaturated fatty acid (MUFA) and saturated fatty acid (SFA) contents were greater at Hays. Th e linolenic acid content ranged from 26% when Pronghorn was planted at Hays to 35% when planted at Moccasin. In general, the variations in seed yield and fatty acid profi le corresponded well with growing season precipitation and temperatures at each environment.

Winter Camelina: Crop Growth, Seed Yield, and Quality Response to Cultivar and Seeding Rate

“…Obour et al (2017) also reported high protein and low oil content of camelina seeds associated with high air temperatures during flowering and seed fill. For instance, averaged across cultivars and seeding rates, protein content was greatest in 2016 (279 kg ha −1 ) and least in 2014 (257 kg ha −1 ), whereas oil content was least in 2016 (394 kg ha −1 ) and greatest in 2015 (407 kg ha −1 ).…”

“…Seed crude protein contents of WG4 (279 g kg −1 ) and WG1 (277 g kg −1 ) were similar and significantly greater than those of Joelle (262 g kg −1 ) and Bison (263 g kg −1 ), which were not different from each other. An inverse relationship between seed oil and protein content has been reported by others for spring camelina (Sintim et al, 2016;Obour et al, 2017). Compared with the other cultivars, WG4 tended to have relatively high balance of protein and oil content.…”

“…The relatively high protein content coupled with low oil content in 2016 was likely caused by the warmer growing season of 2015-2016 and moderate precipitation. Obour et al (2017) also reported high protein and low oil content of camelina seeds associated with high air temperatures during flowering and seed fill. Others have demonstrated that mild temperatures coupled with moderate growing season precipitation tend to favor greater seed yields and oil content in camelina (Gugel and Falk, 2006;Gesch, 2014).…”

“…Averaged across seeding rates and years, Joelle had the greatest oil content at 407 g kg −1 and WG1 had the least at 394 g kg −1 , whereas Bison (403 g kg −1 ) and WG4 (400 g kg −1 ) were intermediary (Table 3). An inverse relationship between seed oil and protein content has been reported by others for spring camelina (Sintim et al, 2016;Obour et al, 2017). An inverse relationship between seed oil and protein content has been reported by others for spring camelina (Sintim et al, 2016;Obour et al, 2017).…”

“…Spring cultivars especially have appeal for production in semiarid regions of the Great Plains and Pacific Northwest as a rotational crop with small grains and fallow (Schillinger et al, 2012;Chen et al, 2015), largely due to their low agricultural input requirements, short life cycle, and abiotic stress and disease resistance (Guy et al, 2014). Several studies have compared agronomic characteristics of spring genotypes across various environments (e.g., Gesch, 2014;Guy et al, 2014;Sintim et al, 2016;Obour et al, 2017). For instance, Guy et al (2014) demonstrated significant differences in seed yield among 18 camelina genotypes across 18 different site-year environments.…”