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South Dakota State University / College of Agriculture & Biological Sciences / USDA

ExEx8167

May 2010

Plant Science

3 pages

I. HISTORY AND DESCRIPTION

Camelina [Camelina sativa (L.) Crantz] is an oilseed 

plant currently being researched as a potential new crop 

for South Dakota. It is a member of the Brassicaceae (or 

mustard) family, which includes mustard, canola, rapeseed, 

Crambe, broccoli, and several other vegetable crops. Camelina is commonly known as gold-of-pleasure or false flax. 

It originated in Northern Europe and Central Asia, where it 

has been grown for at least 3,000 years. It was grown as an 

agricultural crop in Europe and the Soviet Union through 

World War II. European production dwindled after the 

1950s, as rapeseed/canola production increased. Camelina 

has been grown on a commercial basis in Montana for the 

last several years. According to the National Agricultural 

Statistics Service office in Helena, Mont., 22,500 acres of 

camelina were planted in 2007 and 12,200 acres in 2008. 

Camelina is a cool-season crop. Seeds are very small 

(less than 1/16 inch), oblong, with a ridged surface. They 

germinate at low temperature (34-36°F), and young plants 

are very frost resistant. Young plants form a rosette of foliage close to the ground, and then stems elongate (bolt) and 

become heavily branched before flowering. Small paleyellow flowers bloom in clusters at the top of the branches. 

Plants are 2–3-feet tall at maturity. Seedpods are pear 

shaped and contain 8–10 seeds. Camelina is more resistant 

to seed shatter than canola.

II. USES

In the United States, camelina is primarily grown as a 

bio-fuel crop. The seed contains 30–40% oil. Camelina oil 

is used to produce biodiesel, and the meal co-product can 

be used as a livestock feed. Camelina oil also has use as a 

biolubricant and in industrial and cosmetic products.

 The oil has a unique composition that may give it even 

higher value as a food crop. The oil is high in omega-3 fatty 

acid (alpha-linolenic acid) and also contains antioxidants 

(tocopherol, vitamin E) that give it a longer shelf life than 

flaxseed oil. Camelina oil contains 35–40% alpha-linolenic 

acid, compared to 50–60% for flaxseed oil. It may be used 

as cooking oil or as an additive to increase the nutritional 

value of bakery products or other foods. 

Camelina meal, the product remaining after the oil has 

been extracted from the seed, typically contains 10–12% 

oil and 40% protein. It may be used to enhance the food 

quality of fish, meat, poultry, and dairy products. Omega-3-

enriched meat, milk, and eggs have added value. The FDA 

allows the use of camelina meal for up to 10% of the total 

ration, by weight, of diets fed to poultry broilers and has 

limited approval in Montana for up to 2% of the weight of 

the total ration fed to feedlot beef cattle and growing swine. 

However, the meal contains anti-nutritive compounds (glucosinolates) that can reduce livestock performance at high 

concentrations. Research is currently underway to evaluate 

the impact of higher levels of camelina or glucosinolates on 

livestock performance and product quality.

Camelina seed has a gum layer that can be removed 

and used as a soil amendment to help prevent erosion of 

exposed soils during construction projects. The gum may 

also be applied to other crop seeds to aid germination in 

difficult environments.

III. ADAPTATION

The range of adaptation of camelina has not been fully 

explored. The flax-growing regions of the upper Midwest 

should provide a suitable environment. Camelina is more 

frost-tolerant and reportedly more drought-tolerant than 

canola. However, excessive heat and drought during flowering and seed set will reduce yields. Claims that camelina 

may be grown on marginal (low-productivity) land not 

suitable for the production of other crops remain to be 

proven. Winter types are available, but the extent of winterhardiness is not known.

IV. PRODUCTION PRACTICES

A. Rotation and field selection

Camelina should work well in a small-grain rotation. 

It grows well following wheat, barley, peas, or lentils. 

Camelina Production

Kathleen Grady, Extension oilseeds specialist 

Thandiwe Nleya, Extension agronomist, WRAC
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Avoid fields following canola, mustard, or other Brassica 

crops. There are no broad-leaf herbicides labeled for use 

on camelina, so it is essential to select relatively weed-free 

fields for camelina production. Herbicide history should be 

known for the field selected. No carryover restrictions have 

been established for camelina, but until such information 

is available, the minimum application to planting intervals 

for canola should be followed. The effect of camelina on 

subsequent crops is still under investigation. No incidences 

of injury to small grain crops following camelina have been 

reported.

B. Variety selection

Breeding effort on camelina in North America has 

been limited. Some European varieties are being grown, 

including ‘Calena’, ‘Celine’, and ‘Ligena’. Montana State 

University released two public camelina varieties in 2007, 

‘Blaine Creek’ and ‘Suneson’. Several private companies 

have camelina breeding programs. Blue Sun Biodiesel released ‘Cheyenne’ in 2007, and Sustainable Oils and Great 

Plains–The Camelina Company also develop and market 

camelina varieties.

C. Seeding

1. Seedbed and seeding method

A firm, moist seedbed is ideal for seeding camelina. 

No-till seeding has been successful. Camelina may be 

planted with a grain drill or by broadcast seeding followed by a packer. Good seed-soil contact is essential.

2. Planting date

Camelina is a cool-season crop that benefits from early 

spring planting. Research in Montana has shown that 

best yields are obtained when planting is done between 

March 1 and March 31. Camelina planted later than 

April 15 showed yield decline of approximately 100 lbs 

per week of delay. 

3. Seedbed depth

Recommendations are to drill seed very shallow (1⁄4 to 

1⁄2 inch) into a firm seedbed. Good seed-to-soil contact 

is important. Emergence and seedling establishment is 

best when the crop is seeded into moist soils. Broadcasting the seed into a clean seedbed has also been used but 

with limited success. Good seed-to-soil contact is more 

difficult to achieve with the broadcasting method. Early 

planting to allow seed incorporation into the soil is 

recommended when broadcast seeding.

4. Seeding rate

Best stand establishment has been achieved by using 

seeding rates of 3–5 lbs/acre into good soil moisture 

conditions. Seeding rates lower than 3 lbs/acre often 

results in poor germination and low plant populations. 

No-till fields with high residue levels or where weeds 

are a potential problem, and dry conditions have been 

shown to adversely affect germination and seedling establishment. It is recommended to increase seeding rates 

in such poor seedbed conditions or if seed is broadcast.

D. Fertilizer

Very few fertilizer response trials have been conducted 

on camelina in the northern Great Plains. While the crop 

has been generally promoted as a low input crop, adequate 

fertility is required to produce good yields. Recommendations from Montana State University are to apply 70 to 90 

lbs N/acre for a 1,500 lb crop or approximately 1 lb N per 

20 lbs seed production. However, under dryland conditions, water is a major limiting factor and growers tend 

to use lower nitrogen rates. Minimum levels of 30–40 lbs 

N/a are recommended if expected yields are in the range of 

1,200–1,500 lb/a. Camelina has not shown response to P, K, 

and S where these elements are present in the soil at minimum levels of 12 ppm, 30 ppm and 15 lb/a for P, K, and S, 

respectively. Further research on fertilizer application rates 

and methods for camelina grown in varying environmental 

conditions is needed. 

E. Weed control

The only herbicide currently registered for use in camelina (Gold of Pleasure) is Poast®, which provides postemergent control of grassy weeds. As with all pesticides, 

read and follow label instructions. Poast has no effect on 

broadleaf weeds. It is important to select fields relatively 

free of broadleaf weeds for camelina production. The crop 

is susceptible to competition from broadleaf weeds in the 

rosette stage, prior to bolting, but is quite competitive once 

established. A dense, uniform stand of camelina will defend 

against weed growth.

F. Diseases and insect pests

Diseases of potential concern to camelina production 

include sclerotinia stem rot, Alternaria blight, downy mildew, powdery mildew, and blackleg. Most of these diseases 

are favored by high-moisture conditions, and none have 

been a major problem in camelina thus far. Likewise, no insect pests have been observed to be of major concern. Camelina appears to be tolerant to flea beetles, which can be a 

problem in canola. No fungicides or insecticides are registered for use on camelina. Fields should be monitored for 

insects and disease on a regular basis. Field rotation (3–4 

years between susceptible crops) will reduce the chances of 

developing future insect or disease pest problems.

G. Harvesting

Camelina can be direct cut or swathed and then 

combined. Direct cutting is the preferred method and may 

begin once pods turn golden brown and seed moisture is 8 

percent or less. Lower plant stems may remain green. The 

crop should be monitored closely once ripening begins to 

avoid over-ripening and seed shatter. Header height should 

be set as high as possible to avoid taking in of excessive green material while still harvesting the entire crop. 

Although camelina is more resistant to shatter than canola, 

pods may shatter if batted by the reel, so reel speed should 

match ground speed. The concave should be opened up to 
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allow plant material to pass through easily without crushing or cracking of seeds. A 9/64” screen installed over the 

bottom sieves reportedly produces good separation of the 

seed from seedpods and stem pieces. Camelina seed is very 

small and light, so adjust fan speeds accordingly. All equipment used for harvest and transport should be checked for 

leaks and sealed with tape or caulking.

If green weed material in the crop necessitates swathing, it should be done when the pod color changes from 

green to about 65% yellow. The crop matures quickly once 

color change begins, so swathing must be done in a timely 

manner to prevent seed shatter. Cutting height should be as 

high as possible to reduce blowing of windrows.

H. Drying and storage

Camelina seed is susceptible to spoiling under highmoisture conditions. Seed moisture should be no more than 

8% for best storage

V. PERFORMANCE RESULTS

Camelina varieties supplied by Sustainable Oils were 

tested at Brookings, S.D., in 2007, 2008, and 2009. Table 1 

shows the average, minimum, and maximum yields of the 

varieties tested.

Table 1. Camelina yields for Sustainable Oils varieties grown at Brookings, S.D.

2007 2008 2009

Seeding date April 18 April 18 April 14

(lbs/acre)

Average yield 896 1,033 1,283

Minumum yield 722 757 1,148

Maximum yield 984 1,269 1,476

No. of entries 12 20 20

The public variety ‘Blaine Creek’ and nine varieties 

from Great Plains–The Camelina Company were tested 

at Wall, S.D., in 2009. Blaine Creek yielded 494 lbs/acre, 

and the average yield over all varieties was 600 lbs/acre 

(table 2). Previous years’ trials at Wall tested a number of 

Blue Sun Biodiesel varieties, along with a few European 

camelina cultivars. Overall, camelina appears to be poorly 

adapted to southwestern South Dakota. Hot, dry conditions 

that prevail during flowering and seed shatter that occurs at 

crop ripening reduce harvestable yield significantly in this 

environment.

Table 2. Yields of camelina varieties grown at Wall, S.D.

2005 2006 2007 2009

Seeding date April 28 April 13 April 16 April 24

(lbs/acre)

Average yield 287 177 330 600

Minumum yield 187 81 238 494

Maximum yield 416 266 442 702

No. of entries 14 16 20 10

In contrast, yields of over 2,000 lbs/acre have been 

obtained in plot trials at Minot, N.D., and Havre, Mont. 

Statewide average yield in Montana was 598 lbs/acre in 

2007 and 569 lbs/acre in 2008. Irrigated camelina yields of 

2,400 lbs/acre have been reported.

VI. ECONOMICS AND MARKETING

Camelina has been touted as a “low-input” crop. It 

has been shown that good yields can be obtained with 

timely planting, good management, and adequate moisture. 

However, this is a relatively new crop and many questions 

remain about its production and use. Few chemicals have 

been registered for use on camelina, so rescue of a crop 

that becomes infested with weeds, disease, or insects would 

be difficult. Uses of the oil and meal are still under investigation. Presently, the oil can be sold or used on-farm for 

biodiesel, and the meal can be used in poultry or livestock 

feed rations on a limited basis. Other high-value uses 

remain to be developed. Markets are currently geographically limited, and producers should be certain they have a 

contracted buyer and factor in transport costs before planting camelina.

References/Sources of Information

Ehrensing, D.T. and S.O. Guy. 2008. Oilseed Crops--Camelina. Oregon 

State Univ. Ext. Serv. EM8953-E. http://extension.oregonstate.edu/

catalog/pdf/em/em8953-e.pdf.

Lafferty, Ryan M., Charlie Rife and Gus Foster. 2009. Spring camelina 

production guide for the Central High Plains. Blue Sun Biodiesel 

special publication. Blue Sun Agriculture Research & Development, 

Golden, CO. http://www.gobluesun.com/upload/Spring%20Camelina%20Production%20Guide%202009.pdf.

McVay, K.A., and P.F. Lamb. 2008. Camelina production in Montana. 

MSU Ext. MT200701AG (revised). http://msuextension.org/publications/AgandNaturalResources/MT200701AG.pdf.

Putnam, D.H., J.T. Budin, L.A. Field, and W.M. Breene. 1993. Camelina: 

A promising low-input oilseed. P. 314-322. In: J. Janick and J.E. 

Simon (eds.), New Crops. Wiley, New York.

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EXEX8167 Access at http://agbiopubs.sdstate.edu/articles/ExEx8167.pdf.