Variations in Fatty Acid Composition and Oil Content in Camelina Germplasm.

Camelina sativa (L.) Crantz is a promising species for the biofuel and feedstock industry, as oil content and fatty acid profile are among the critical factors that determine success of a new crop, in addition to agronomic potential. Thirty-five accessions from three Camelina species were selected from the USDA-ARS-NCRPIS germplasm collection, increased via half-sib mating in 2008 and evaluated in 2009 in a lattice design. Oil content from harvested seed was determined by nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) and fatty acid profiles by gas chromatography (GC). Based on NMR analysis, camelina accessions show a significant variation in oil content (22.6% - 36.8%). Camelina’s fatty acid profile is mostly composed of linoleic acid and linolenic acid with a mean (of the 35 accessions) of 22.2 and 33.6% respectively, 12.4% oleic acid and 11.9% eicosenoic acid. Linoleic acid and linolenic acid content showed significant variation, ranging from 18 to 29.5% and 25.7 to 40% respectively, and were negatively correlated. Oil content was positively correlated with linolenic acid (omega-3). Results indicate that fatty acid profile and oil content from 10 accessions fit the basic requirements for biodiesel production and feedstock industry. In addition, the high variation in fatty acid composition, oil content and some agronomic traits allows selection of promising accessions to amplify the genetic base in camelina enhancement programs.