b'CAMELINAThe Resurgenceof CamelinaCamelina is a versatile crop thatscurrently offering producers an impressive list of incentives. THE CAMELINA INDUSTRYhas been expanding in recent years. Whereas it was previously only used for a few thingsmostly edible oil and birdseedits now enjoying a resurgence of use and growing market interest in new areas, including biofuel. With more uses, comes more producers and more research into the crop. Camelina has recently sparked interest in being a new specialty crop.Camelina is an oilseed crop, says Christina Eynck, an Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC) camelina breeder based in Saskatoon, Sask. Its a crop that has a long history in Europe, and it originated in the steppe regions of southeastern Europe and southwestern Asia. Then, I want to say (it) almost fell into oblivion after that.Camelina has recently seen a revival in popularity. Rapeseed originally gained popularity because of its high yield. With camelina, a crop similar to canola, coming back into the spotlight, it offers different advantages, like the ability to grow in less nutrient dense soil. Rapeseed was much higher yielding, and the oil was much more amenable to hydrogenation than camelina oil. I would say about maybe 20 years ago, camelina was somewhat rediscovered. It is a relative of canola. Camelina in general is a crop that does surprising well on lower quality land, continues Eynck.With the rediscovery of the crop comes research and new potential uses in specialty products.Camelinas uses include human consumption oil as well as industrial uses such as high-end biofuels used in aviation and, more recently, bioplastics and other specialty products, says Ryan Mercer, seed grower with Mercer Seeds in Lethbridge, Alta, in an email.As breeders and growers alike look to new camelina uses, research is going into the crop to improve it through plant breeding.Current breeding efforts for camelina include higher yield and herbicide tolerance. Additionally, increased seed size is another focus of plant breeding, says Mercer.In addition to the current plant breeding efforts, camelina already had some features that made it attractive to producersin particular, Eynck says there is increased interest in camelina as a climate resilient crop.A field of camelina.Camelina also has good shatter resistance. So that means that PHOTO: YIELD10 BIOSCIENCE you can straight combine it, which saves you a step and you dont necessarily need to swath it, Eynck adds.96seed.ab.ca'