New technologies in achieving heat and drought resilient oilseed production, the case of camelina

Abstract

Camelina [Camelina sativa (L.) Crantz] also known as “false flax” or “gold of pleasure”, is a self-pollinated, annual oilseed that belongs to the Brassicaceae family. Camelina is native species of Eurasia, which is gaining interest world-wide due to its better cold, heat and drought tolerance, and less susceptibility to disease and pests than oilseed rape. The most of research work on camelina has been carried out in northern America and continental Europe. Consequently, there are not many data on evaluation of suitability of camelina genotypes for cultivation in southern Europe. Two breeding groups (IFVCNS and BOKU) and one group focusing on the agronomy development of the crop (DISTAL) just recently started research activities focusing on development of new genotypes more adapted for southern regions of Europe and evaluation of their productivity in these, more arid regions.