Crop growth and productivity of winter camelina in response to sowing date in the northwestern corn belt of the USA

Authors: WITTENBERG, ALEX - North Dakota State University; Anderson, James; BERTI, MARISOL - North Dakota State University

Submitted to: Industrial Crops and Products
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 10/19/2020
Publication Date: 10/30/2020
Citation: Wittenberg, A., Anderson, J.V., Berti, M.T. 2020. Crop growth and productivity of winter camelina in response to sowing date in the northwestern corn belt of the USA. Industrial Crops and Products. 158:1-12. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.indcrop.2020.113036.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.indcrop.2020.113036

Interpretive Summary: Camelina (Camelina sativa) has the potential to serve as a low-input oilseed crop for cover and/or as a source of oil used for advanced biofuels and human consumption. Camelina consists of both summer and winter annual biotypes. In the northern Great Plains, winter biotypes of camelina are being evaluated for economic and environmental benefits as components of double- or relay- cropping systems. Because additional information on best management practices are needed to help farmers adopt winter camelina as either a winter-hardy cover crop or a cash crop, objectives of this study were to determine optimum fall sowing dates for increased survival, seed yield, and several ecosystem services in the northern Great Plains. When winter camelina was used as a cover crop, sowing prior to mid-September was critical for biomass production and reducing soil residual nitrate. However, when winter camelina is harvested as a cash crop, the highest harvestable seed yield after overwintering was observed with fall sowing in September and even as late as early October.

Technical Abstract: Camelina [Camelina sativa (L.) Crantz] is a member of Brassicaceae family. In the northern Great Plains, camelina has the potential to serve as a low-input oilseed crop for cover and/or as a source of oil used for advanced biofuels and human consumption. Winter annual biotypes of camelina provide additional economic and environmental benefits in the northern Great Plains, where it is well suited for double- or relay- cropping systems. The objective of this study was to determine optimum sowing dates for achieving the highest winter camelina seed yield as well as several ecosystem services. The experiments were conducted in Fargo, ND in 2017-2018 and in Fargo and Prosper in 2018-2019 seasons. Six sowing dates from the end of June to mid-October were evaluated. The experimental design was a randomized complete block with four replicates at each location. A total of 700 pure live seeds m-2 were sown in each date. Fall stand counts ranged from 17 to 279 plants m-2 with greater stands at later fall sowing dates. Spring stand counts ranged from 7 to 84 plants m-2, with higher stand counts in sowing dates from the beginning to mid-September. Across sowing dates that survived the winter, seed yield ranged from 99 to 1317 kg ha-1. Results from these three environments indicate that winter camelina sown before September usually does not survive the winter. However, when sown in September and even into October, plants can successfully survive the winter and produce a harvestable crop in the subsequent growing season in the northern Great Plains.