Technical Report
 

Growth, Seed Yield, and Oil Production of Camelina sativa Grown Under Two Irrigation Rates from a Spring Seeding, and of Multiple Cultivars Seeded on Multiple Dates in the Fall, in the Klamath Basin, 2007- 08

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  • The recent increase in energy prices and political instability in the Middle East has sparked renewed interest in alternative energy sources and technologies both locally and nationally. Biodiesel is an appealing transportation fuel source for many reasons: it readily substitutes for petroleum diesel, it tends to burn cleaner with fewer pollutants, it can be made from many plant-based oil sources, and it can be produced on a large or small scale. Biodiesel can be made from many oilseed crops. However, the most prolific oil producers per acre tend to be tropical or subtropical crops such as palm oil, castor, and soybean. Some temperate oilseed crops, such as sunflower, meadowfoam, and flax, have higher value end-uses than biodiesel. Therefore, much of the research on oilseeds for biodiesel in temperate regions has focused on rapeseed/canola, and more recently, another oilseed crop called camelina (Camelina sativa). Please see the separate reports of canola research we conducted in 2008. Camelina is an ancient crop (grown as far back as 1000 BC) that was later used extensively as a source of edible oil as well as for oil lanterns for lighting in eastern Europe in the middle ages (Putnam et al., 1993). Its use decreased with the advent of improved trade for olive oil from southern Europe and, much later, the development of petroleum-based oils and then electric lighting in the 20th century. Camelina is of interest for dietary reasons due to its unusually high levels of Omega-3 fatty acids. It is of interest for biodiesel production because it seems to grow well in conditions of relatively poor soil, low fertility, and low moisture availability. Its seed contains 30-40% oil by weight, but seed yields are generally less than canola under ideal growing conditions, but may be similar under more stressful conditions. Both canola and camelina have been reported to exhibit some herbicidal properties in the following crop, which could potentially reduce weed control costs in crops seeded after these oilseed crops. Because camelina’s fatty acid profile differs somewhat from canola’s, it can be more easily converted into aviation fuel, another potential end-product. Prior to about 2005, camelina was not grown as a commercial crop in the US, but by 2007 about 15,000 acres of camelina was grown in the US, mostly in Montana, spurred by active private company contracting activity there. Acreage there has gradually increased, and interest has increased in other parts of the PNW and other regions of the country very recently, partially due to production incentives and research funding from Dept. of Defense and other sources due to camelina’s potential use as a raw material to produce aviation fuel.
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