Camelina: An emerging oilseed platform for advanced biofuels and bio-based materials

Camelina (Camelina sativa (L.) Crantz) is a Brassicaceae oilseed crop with valuable agronomic and biotechnological attributes that make it an attractive renewable feedstock for biofuels and bio-based materials. Camelina seeds contain 30-40 % oil and can achieve oil yields per hectare that surpass established oilseed crops such as soybean. Camelina is also productive under conditions of limited rainfall and low soil fertility. As a short season, frost tolerant oilseed, Camelina is amenable to double cropping systems and fallow year production. Simple, nonlabor intensive Agrobacterium-based transformation methods have recently been described for Camelina that can be used in combination with breeding to rapidly improve seed quality and agronomic traits to advance Camelina as a production platform for biofuels and industrial feedstocks in geographical regions such as the North American Great Plains that currently have little oilseed production for edible vegetable oils.