Water use and water use efficiency of three Brassicaceae oilseeds under high- and low-yielding environments

Authors: Gesch, Russell - Russ; Allen, Brett; Archer, David; Jabro, Jalal - Jay; ISBELL, TERRY - Retired ARS Employee; LONG, DAN - Retired ARS Employee

Submitted to: Crop Science
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 5/1/2024
Publication Date: 6/2/2024
Citation: Gesch, R.W., Allen, B.L., Archer, D.W., Jabro, J.D., Isbell, T., Long, D. 2024. Water use and water use efficiency of three Brassicaceae oilseeds under high- and low-yielding environments. Crop Science. 1-11. https://doi.org/10.1002/csc2.21273.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1002/csc2.21273

Interpretive Summary: Demand for vegetable oil world-wide is outpacing supply. Brassicaceae (brassica) oilseed crops like canola, camelina, and mustard can serve as rotational crops in the northern Great Plains region of the U.S. to diversify cropping systems and create new economic opportunities for farmers and rural communities. Most brassica oilseeds are relatively minor use crops, and more research is needed to identify the best species to grow in certain agricultural regions. In this study, we grew three different species (canola, camelina, and white mustard) in three different environments (Morris, MN; Mandan, ND; and Sidney, MT) differing in soil type, annual rainfall, and average growing season temperature. The objective was to compare crop growth, seed yield, and the amount of water used by each crop for growth across the different environments, and the water use efficiency of the crop to produce seed. Surprisingly, all three oilseed species used similar amounts of water for their growth at each study site. However, at the MN location where the soils are rich with organic matter and rainfall is plentiful during the growing season, canola out yielded both camelina and mustard, and had the highest water use efficiency. At the ND and MT locations, canola and camelina performed equally as well, but better than mustard. Because camelina requires fewer agricultural inputs that canola, it may be a better choice to produce in drier more stressful environments like MT; whereas in a low stress high yielding environment like the MN site, canola is a better choice. Results will benefit producers interested in using oilseeds in their crop rotations and the vegetable oil industry.

Technical Abstract: Brassicaceae oilseed crops have proven potential as vegetable oil feedstock for biofuels and food uses. But meeting a growing demand for vegetable oils for food and industrial uses will require identifying oilseed species that are best suited for various growing environments within a particular region. The objective of this study was to compare growth dynamics, seasonal water use (WU), seed yields, and water use efficiency (WUE) of canola (Brassica napus L.), camelina (Camelina sativa L.), and white mustard (Sinapis alba L.) to determine their suitability under three different environments within the northern Great Plains. Comparisons were made among these species over three growing seasons between 2013-2016 at Morris, Minnesota; Mandan, North Dakota; and Sidney, Montana situated along a strong precipitation gradient from east to west. Generally, growing season precipitation was similar at Morris and Mandan, but both were considerably greater than at Sidney. Seasonal WU was similar among these oilseed species at Morris and Mandan but was greatest for camelina at the drier Sidney environment. Canola seed yield was the greatest at Morris and had higher WUE than camelina and white mustard. At Mandan and Sidney, canola and camelina had similar seed yields and WUE, which were generally greater than white mustard. Under abundant moisture and low stress (e.g., Morris), seed yield per mm of water used could be maximized by growing canola, while in a drier more stressful environment like Sidney, seed yield per mm of water used could be maximized by growing camelina.