Abstract
Given the growing interest for camelina, as a multipurpose oilseed crop, seven cultivars and two sowing times were compared to characterize camelina’s production potential in the rainfed agroecosystems of Central Italy. A split-plot design, with sowing date as main plot (autumn and spring) and cultivar (V1, V2, V3, V4, V5, V6, and CELINE) as subplot, was adopted over two growing seasons (2017–2019). Phenology, yield and yield components, protein and oil content, and fatty acid profile were evaluated. Going from autumn to spring sowing, a significant reduction was observed in the number of days (139 vs. 54 days) and GDD (642 vs. 466 °C d) from emergence to beginning of flowering, with more consistent variations among cultivars. V1 and V2 were the earlier ones both in spring and autumn sowing. Autumn sowing increased seed yield (+18.0%), TSW (+4.1%), number of siliques per plant (+47.2%), contents of α-linolenic, eicosenoic, erucic and eicosadienoic acids, and polyunsaturated to saturated fatty acid ratio. Regarding genotype, V3 showed the best seed and oil yield in autumn, whereas V1 and CELINE were the best performing in spring. Finally, TSW and number of siliques per plant were the key yield components for camelina. Results identify, in relation to sowing date, the most suitable cultivars for the tested environment, in terms of earliness and quanti-qualitative traits.
Highlights
Camelina (Camelina sativa (L.) Crantz) or false flax, is an ancient minor oilseed crop belonging to the Brassicaceae family that has recently gained an increasing attention due to its good agronomic features and its promising industrial and healthy food applications [1]
The results of this study showed that all camelina varieties here tested are well adapted to Mediterranean conditions, with a strong dependence of crop yield and seed quality on genotype and sowing time
Even though satisfactory yields may be obtained when certain cultivars are sown in spring, camelina seemed more promising for autumn sowing (October–November), due to greater seed yield and better seed qualitative traits
Summary
Camelina (Camelina sativa (L.) Crantz) or false flax, is an ancient minor oilseed crop belonging to the Brassicaceae family that has recently gained an increasing attention due to its good agronomic features and its promising industrial and healthy food applications [1]. Several agronomic characteristics have conferred advantages to camelina, over other oilseed crops, contributing to its recent widespread expansion. It has, low agricultural input requirements, and a good tolerance and resistance to cold and drought, as well as to diseases that commonly affect oilseed Brassica crops [7,8,9]. Camelina well adapts to a wide range of environments and different sowing times, being a rapidly maturing short-season species, with both spring and winter forms. These features make camelina suitable to replace fallow periods
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