Camelina sativa

Cultivation and production - Crucifers

Production

Camelina sativa, from its vernacular name camelina, also known as "bastard flax" or "German sesame "1, is a plant in the Brassicaceae family native to Northern Europe and Central Asia and cultivated in Europe for over 3,000 years for the production of vegetable oil and fodder.

Identity card

• Scientific name : Camelina sativa
• Family : Brassicaceae
• Morphology : Dicotyledonous herbaceous plant, 40 to 80 cm high, erect, simple or branched at the top. Its taproot burrows deep into the soil.
• Mode(s) of reproduction : Sexual, mainly self-pollinating.
• Cruciferae family
• Winter and spring varieties available
• Renewed interest in organic farming
• Undemanding plant

Crop cycle

In the rotation

Interventions	Stage/period	Advice
Choice of plot		Not very restrictive, suitable for shallow soils
Soil preparation		Fine preparation with good reconsolidation
Sowing	From mid-March	Cereal drill but beware of very small seeds
Fertilisation
Weeding		Relatively smothering plant and allelopathic effect
Diseases
Harvest		No shattering

Possible combinations

• Lentil : For lentil varieties sown in spring. Camelina acts both as a stake and a cover to limit weed growth. The seeds of both species are harvested.
• Spring cereals: preferablybarley or wheat, possiblyoats but with a greater risk of camelina choking.
• Other spring crops: buckwheat, protein peas, broad beans, etc.

Main pests and diseases

Category	Sensitivity	Details
Weeds	--	Generally defends itself fairly well
Pests	--	Not susceptible to aphid or flea beetle attack.
Diseases	+-	Beware of rust andpowdery mildew

Soil and climate requirements

Factor	Requirement	Details
Water	moderately demanding	Resists water shortage better than rapeseed, provided there is sufficient rainfall until flowering. Highly tolerant of summer drought.
Soil	not very demanding	Content with "poor" soils. One of the only spring crops to benefit from dry soils.
Temperature, light	not very demanding	Not very sensitive to cold. Withstands hot weather better than oilseed rape.
Nutrients	not very demanding	Does not require fertilisation.

Yields, markets, regulations

• Food : Camelina seeds contain around 30% edible oil, which is valued for its nutritional qualities, but there are currently very limited opportunities for its use (access to a press, sales outlets, etc.).
• Animal feed : Camelina can be used to produce fodder rich in amino acids.
• Agrofuel : Camelina oil can be used as a fuel, mixed with diesel.

French production Cultivated area : Camelina is grown on a very small area of land in France.

Yield : 6 to 15 quintals/ha pure.

Markets :

• market mainly for organic oil production - cosmetics industry
• a few seed outlets for intercropping.
• No structured industry (mainly direct sales)

Soit une marge brute ?? €/ha

Charges opérationnelles en €/ha	Produit
Semences : ?? € Fertilisation : ?? € Herbicides : ?? € Fongicides : ?? €	Rendement : 6 to 15 q/ha Prix de vente : ??? €/t
Total : ??? €	Total : ???

To find out more...

• Crop sheet : camelina (press article, 2009) - J. Pousset, A. Coulombel (ITAB), L. Fontaine (ITAB) - Alter Agri, 96, pp 23-26 link to article
• Camelina : Une petite graine qui a tout d'une grande (Press article, 2010) - J.M. Poupeau - Biofil, 72, pp 46-49 link to article
• Arvalis - Three ways to include camelina in crop rotations (2022) : https://www.arvalis-infos.fr/view-38002-arvarticle.html