Camelina
Information

Camelina is an annual plant with prolific small, pale- yellow flowers with four petals, attains heights of 1 to 3 feet and has branched stems that become woody at maturity. Leaves are arrow-shaped, sharp-pointed and about 3 inches long with smooth edges. Seed pods are the size and shape of a small pea. The seeds are very small, amounting to about 400,000 seeds per pound, and they are 40 percent oil, compared to 20 percent with soybeans.

research and development

One of our parent companies is biotech research leader Targeted Growth, Inc. (TGI). As a result, Sustainable Oils is able to tap into some of the best research capabilities to identify genes that may help improve yield and other characteristics in camelina.

Through TGI, Sustainable Oils has access to patented genes, Rev and Krp, that have been shown to improve yield in other crops. Work has been underway for four years to introduce and utilize these genes in camelina. Sustainable Oils has performed two years and four seasons of contained USDA approved field trials evaluating these genes.

Sustainable Oils is also leading efforts at TGI to modify oil quality and increase oil content through the most advanced genetic analytical techniques. A process called TILLING is used to identify mutations in specific naturally occurring genes that allow control of oil quality and potentially increase oil content. These genes are then bred into elite varieties. This work has been in process for three years. Field testing of candidate varieties will begin in 2011.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A Partnership between Targeted Growth, Inc. and Green Earth Fuels, LLC
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