Low-input cultivation of camelina (<em>Camelina sativa</em> (L.) Crantz) in a Mediterranean semi-arid environment

The cultivation of oil crops for biofuel production has often been accused of not being environmentally sustainable due to the high inputs needed. To explore the effect of reduced input on productive and qualitative traits of camelina (Camelina sativa (L.) Crantz), a trial was carried out o...

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Main Authors: Giovanni Avola, Orazio Sortino, Fabio Gresta
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Elsevier 2021-01-01
Series:Italian Journal of Agronomy
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.agronomy.it/index.php/agro/article/view/1728
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author Giovanni Avola
Orazio Sortino
Fabio Gresta
author_facet Giovanni Avola
Orazio Sortino
Fabio Gresta
author_sort Giovanni Avola
collection DOAJ
description The cultivation of oil crops for biofuel production has often been accused of not being environmentally sustainable due to the high inputs needed. To explore the effect of reduced input on productive and qualitative traits of camelina (Camelina sativa (L.) Crantz), a trial was carried out over a two-year period. This study analyzed two different levels of input: a low input treatment (shallow non-inversion tillage and low fertilization rate) and a high input treatment (deeper tillage and high fertilization rate). Camelina was positively, even though to a limited extent, affected by high input treatment as highlighted by the increase in seed yield (from 1.8 to 2.0 t ha-1), crop residues (from 4.8 to 5.2 t ha- 1), seed protein content (from 26.5 to 28.9%), seed oil content (from 41.5 to 43.4%) and oil yield (from 0.75 to 0.88 t ha-1). So, from a sustainable point of view, we must consider negligible the effect of high input and satisfactory the performances of camelina in the low input regime. Low input management resulted in satisfactory yields in terms of both quantity and quality, results which were not very different from high input, indicating promising potential for conservation agriculture practices in camelina in a semi-arid environment.
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spelling doaj-art-f5301f22df6841faa18a56d486aeb0802025-08-20T01:54:33ZengElsevierItalian Journal of Agronomy1125-47182039-68052021-01-01AOP10.4081/ija.2021.1728Low-input cultivation of camelina (<em>Camelina sativa</em> (L.) Crantz) in a Mediterranean semi-arid environmentGiovanni Avola0Orazio Sortino1Fabio Gresta2Institute of BioEconomy, National Research Council of Italy (CNR - IBE), CataniaDepartment of Agriculture, Food and Environment, University of Catania, CataniaDepartment of Veterinary Sciences, University of Messina, MessinaThe cultivation of oil crops for biofuel production has often been accused of not being environmentally sustainable due to the high inputs needed. To explore the effect of reduced input on productive and qualitative traits of camelina (Camelina sativa (L.) Crantz), a trial was carried out over a two-year period. This study analyzed two different levels of input: a low input treatment (shallow non-inversion tillage and low fertilization rate) and a high input treatment (deeper tillage and high fertilization rate). Camelina was positively, even though to a limited extent, affected by high input treatment as highlighted by the increase in seed yield (from 1.8 to 2.0 t ha-1), crop residues (from 4.8 to 5.2 t ha- 1), seed protein content (from 26.5 to 28.9%), seed oil content (from 41.5 to 43.4%) and oil yield (from 0.75 to 0.88 t ha-1). So, from a sustainable point of view, we must consider negligible the effect of high input and satisfactory the performances of camelina in the low input regime. Low input management resulted in satisfactory yields in terms of both quantity and quality, results which were not very different from high input, indicating promising potential for conservation agriculture practices in camelina in a semi-arid environment.https://www.agronomy.it/index.php/agro/article/view/1728Camelinagrain yieldoil contentconservation agriculture practicestillagefertilization.
spellingShingle Giovanni Avola
Orazio Sortino
Fabio Gresta
Low-input cultivation of camelina (<em>Camelina sativa</em> (L.) Crantz) in a Mediterranean semi-arid environment
Italian Journal of Agronomy
Camelina
grain yield
oil content
conservation agriculture practices
tillage
fertilization.
title Low-input cultivation of camelina (<em>Camelina sativa</em> (L.) Crantz) in a Mediterranean semi-arid environment
title_full Low-input cultivation of camelina (<em>Camelina sativa</em> (L.) Crantz) in a Mediterranean semi-arid environment
title_fullStr Low-input cultivation of camelina (<em>Camelina sativa</em> (L.) Crantz) in a Mediterranean semi-arid environment
title_full_unstemmed Low-input cultivation of camelina (<em>Camelina sativa</em> (L.) Crantz) in a Mediterranean semi-arid environment
title_short Low-input cultivation of camelina (<em>Camelina sativa</em> (L.) Crantz) in a Mediterranean semi-arid environment
title_sort low input cultivation of camelina em camelina sativa em l crantz in a mediterranean semi arid environment
topic Camelina
grain yield
oil content
conservation agriculture practices
tillage
fertilization.
url https://www.agronomy.it/index.php/agro/article/view/1728
work_keys_str_mv AT giovanniavola lowinputcultivationofcamelinaemcamelinasativaemlcrantzinamediterraneansemiaridenvironment
AT oraziosortino lowinputcultivationofcamelinaemcamelinasativaemlcrantzinamediterraneansemiaridenvironment
AT fabiogresta lowinputcultivationofcamelinaemcamelinasativaemlcrantzinamediterraneansemiaridenvironment