Camelina Sativa Varieties and Agronomic Performance in Colorado.

Camelina sativa appears to be a promising crop in an environment with low precipitation. The Colorado dryland wheat based no-till cropping system covers more than 4 million acres. Camelina sativa fits in this rotation, bringing a third crop which has an enormous market demand in either the fuel or food industries. Camelina seems to require less fertilizer and pesticides than current Colorado crops. Variety trials have been conducted from 2003 to 2008 in Colorado. Significant yield increases have been observed from 300 lbs/ac to 1,200 lbs/ac, thanks to better agronomic management practices such as seeding depth, date of planting and weed control. However, more emphasis needs to be put on agronomic practices. The hypothesis of this study was that spring camelina (Camelina sativa L.) could be grown as an alternative oilseed crop under semi-arid conditions in the eastern and western slope of Colorado and Wyoming and seeding and nitrogen rates will modify productivity and oil profile. The objectives were (1) to determine the optimum seeding and nitrogen rates for camelina production in Colorado; and (2) to evaluate released varieties of camelina performance under Colorado environments. In 2008, seeding rates, nitrogen rates and yield have been tested in four diverse environments, under both irrigated and dryland conditions. The trials were conducted at Lingle, Wyoming; Akron, CO; Yellow Jacket, CO; and Fort Collins, CO. The camelina yield performance trials are constituted of 18 varieties coming from three breeding programs. The agronomy trials have two varieties, Cheyenne and Calena, five seeding rates were applied: 2-5-8-11-14 lbs/ac, and three nitrogen treatments, 0, 60, and 120 lbs/ac. Every trial had three replicates under irrigation and four under dryland. The results will be reported on the poster for presentation. Key Words: Camelina sativa, Yield Potential, Seeding Rate, Nitrogen requirement, Colorado.