Camelina Considered For Biofuel Crop

SIDNEY, Montana, US — Agricultural Research Service (ARS) scientists in six US states are performing long-term studies to examine growing Camelina sativa — a member of the Brassicaceae family with a high oil content, native to Europe — as a bioenergy crop, reports ARS News. In support of a recently signed memorandum of understanding between the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the Department of the Navy (DoN), as well as interests of the Commercial Airlines Alternative Fuels Initiative (CAAFI), the research will look at camelina for producing jet fuel for military and aviation industry use.

ARS researchers and university collaborators have been studying camelina since 2006, examining how to incorporate it into existing crop production. Results to date suggest that camelina uses about as much water as spring wheat, meaning growers would still need to leave land fallow in alternate years, or accept possible yield losses for wheat grown in rotation. ARS says that with appropriate breeding and selection, the plant could be a good oil seed crop to plant during fallow years. A few lines of germplasm have also been identified as suitable for rotations with cotton. The ARS camelina germplasm collection has 85 accessions of seven camelina species from around the world available to researchers throughout the country.

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