Biomedical Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
Chapter 8
Camelina sativa: For Biofuels
and Bioproducts
Freeborn G. Jewett
Abstract Oilseed crops have the potential to increase the stability and sustainabil-
ity of American agriculture by replacing a portion of the fossil fuels consumed by
this sector. There are several candidate oilseed species that have been identified as
compatible with a dryland winter wheat-fallow rotation. Of these species,
Camelina
sativa
has been previously identified as being a promising species for drought-prone
areas of the American High Plains. This is due to its short growing season, drought
tolerance, cold tolerance, and resistance to many of the insect and pest species that
cause yield reductions in other
Brassica
oilseed species. Camelina seed oil has high
concentrations (30-40 %) of linolenic fatty acid (C18:3), which is a valuable
product and also improves the cold-flow properties of the feedstock oil. Camelina
is a native of Europe, and breeding efforts have so far focused on optimizing the
varieties to produce high yields in agricultural regions of the United States and
Europe. Breeding and research efforts have created linkage maps and identified
QTL for yield, agronomic characteristics, and oil characteristics. Researchers have
also found success in creating transgenic varieties of camelina, which could greatly
facilitate the optimization of the oil profile for use as a feedstock for industrial oils
and as a biofuel.
Keywords Oilseed crops •
Camelina sativa
• Fatty acid • Linoleic fatty acid •
Cultivar development • Agronomy
Introduction
Camelina sativa
, or “gold of pleasure,” belongs to the Brassicaceae family and has
been cultivated in Europe as an oilseed since the Bronze Age, which began around
4000 B.C. [
1
]. Numerous archeological studies have shown that camelina, flax, and
other assorted cereals constituted a significant portion of the human diet in Europe
and Scandinavia during the Bronze Age [
1
]. Cultivation of camelina waned until
recent interest in low-input biofuels resulted in a reexamination of its value as an
oilseed crop and as a potential source of omega-3 fatty acids for human and animal
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