Five-Year Field Trial of Eight Camelina sativa Cultivars for Biomass to be Used in Biofuel under Irrigated Conditions in a Semi-Arid Climate

Abstract

Camelina sativa is a promising oilseed crop used for dietary oil and as a biofuel feedstock. C. sativa is a highly adaptable, cool season crop that can be grown on marginal lands with minimal inputs, making it potentially suitable for growth in Northern Nevada and other cooler and drier semi-arid regions of North America. A five-year (2011 to 2015) field trial was conducted to evaluate the seed yield, oil content, and oil and biodiesel production potential of eight C. sativa cultivars in semi-arid regions of Northern Nevada. Columbia, Cheyenne, Calena, and Blaine Creek were ranked as the top four varieties based on the five-year study of mean seed yield, oil content, and estimated oil and biodiesel production values, although none of the cultivars were significant (p > 0.05). Overall, Columbia displayed the highest seed yield, harvest index, oil yield and potential biodiesel production of 910 kg ha−1, 0.147, 273.4 kg ha−1, and 86.4 L ha−1, respectively, across five growing seasons. For each individual year across the eight cultivars, seed yield, oil content, oil and potential biodiesel production was highest in 2015, and lowest in 2012 and 2013 (the drier years). The seed yields of this study fall within the ranges of yields reported in both the irrigated and rainfed locations of the Western United States. Based on the seed yield, oil, and the estimated oil and biodiesel productivity reported in this study, C. sativa can be grown successfully with supplemental irrigation in semi-arid environments like Nevada.

Realizing the Potential of Camelina sativa as a Bioenergy Crop for a Changing Global Climate

“…Today, C. sativa is cultivated throughout the northern USA and southern Canada [ 34 ]. Within the USA, C. sativa is grown effectively in the Pacific Northwest, across the North and Central Plains into the Corn Belt region [ 35 ], and in the arid Southwest with irrigation [ 36 , 37 ]. Within Canada, C. sativa is grown widely from the western Prairie Provinces [ 38 , 39 ] to the eastern Maritime Provinces [ 40 ].…”

Assessing the Camelina (Camelina sativa (L.) Crantz) Seed Harvesting Using a Combine Harvester: A Case-Study on the Assessment of Work Performance and Seed Loss

“…In similar studies, where camelina was grown under conventional farming, the potential seed yield doubled in comparison with not fertilized fields (namely, 0.93 Mg ha −1 FM and 1.81 Mg ha −1 FM) [53]. Comparing with other herbaceous oilseeds, for instance, camelina performs slightly lower than castor (Ricinus communis L. up to 4.4 Mg ha −1 ), canola (Brassica napus L. 2.19 Mg ha −1 FM), sunflower (Heliantus annuus L. 1.97 Mg ha −1 FM) [33], although it is suitable for cropping in marginal land [54]. After harvesting, seeds usually face some storing which could be also long in time before being processed.…”

Mechanical Harvesting of Camelina: Work Productivity, Costs and Seed Loss Evaluation

“…Camelina can be indeed cultivated as a low input crop and on poor or marginal soils [31,32] and even in double cropping regime with cereal and other agricultural species [33][34][35][36][37][38] thus, showing interesting features as a sustainable crop as well [18,39]. According to Lohaus et al (2020), in semi-arid regions of North America, 86.4 L ha −1 of biodiesel (9.45% v/w of the seeds yield) can be derived from camelina cropping [40].…”