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Submitted to: Meeting Abstract
Publication Type: Abstract Only Publication Acceptance Date: 11/15/2012 Publication Date: 11/15/2012 Citation: Gesch, R.W. 2012. Influence of genotype and sowing date on camelina seed yield and oil content in the northern Corn Belt [abstract]. The Association for the Advancement of Industrial Crops. p. 8. Interpretive Summary: Technical Abstract: Camelina (Camelina sativa L.) has recently gained considerable attention in the U.S. as a potential oilseed feedstock for advanced biofuels and bioproducts. Although progress has been made towards characterizing camelina’s production potential for the western U.S. and Canada, very little research has been done to evaluate its potential further east in the fertile northern Corn Belt region. The objectives of the following study were to determine the best camelina cultivar and time of sowing in the northern Corn Belt while evaluating the effects of sowing date and genotype on seed yield, oil content, and plant population density. The study was conducted over three growing seasons between 2008 and 2010 in west central Minnesota, USA on a Barnes loam soil. The experimental design was a split plot randomized complete block with four replications. A total of ten camelina genotypes were evaluated and sowing dates ranged from April 16 to June 15 over the 3-year study. Seed yield and oil content and plant population density were greatly affected by sowing date, which all three tended to decline with delayed spring sowing. Seed yield was only significantly affected by genotype in 2009; whereas, oil content was consistently affected by genotype all 3 years. Average seed yields were as high as 2300 kg ha-1 to as low as 669 kg ha-1 and were generally greatest for sowings between late April to mid May. Across sowing dates and cultivars, oil content ranged from about 36 to 43% (wt wt-1) and declined with delayed sowing. Although yield differences among about the top five to six genotypes were generally not great, the cultivars Calena and CO46 consistently produced high seed yields and oil content. Plant lodging, which was also measured during the study, was generally low across cultivars and sowing dates throughout the study. Results indicate that the best time to sow spring camelina in west central Minnesota is from about April 20 to mid May. Seeding past mid May resulted in significant losses in yield and oil content across all cultivars. Further research is needed to optimize other inputs for camelina production in the northern Corn Belt. |
