Camelina sativa
From Triple Performance
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)
| Charges opérationnelles en €/ha | Produit | ||||||||||||
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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
