Camelina sativa (Crantz.) from minor crop to potential breakthrough

Camelina (Camelina sativa (L.) Crantz) is an herbaceous oilseed crop, belonging to the Brassicaceae family, originated from Central and Eastern Europe. Despite the low genetic diversity, due to its evolutionary history, the preferential self-fertilization, and lost varieties, breeding efforts to improve its germplasms are ongoing. Camelina can adapt to different pedoclimatic conditions, from the particularly severe winters of Boreal temperate areas to the critically arid climate of tropical zones. This crop shows significant compatibility with existing farming practices, requires lower agricultural inputs (in terms of water, pesticides, and nutrients) compared to other traditional oilseed crops, is characterized by a very short crop cycle, and can be easily grown on poor and marginal lands. For these reasons, camelina is suitable for less favored areas and represents a valuable resource to fight and to adapt agricultural systems to climate change. Albeit, it has long been considered a minor crop, in the last years, camelina has aroused interest for several positive characteristics that have conferred it advantages over other oilseed crops, and its cultivation has grown especially in North America and Europe. First, its seed oil content can easily exceed 40%, with a profile unusually rich of polyunsaturated fatty acids, especially α-linolenic acid, and, after oil extraction, the residual oilseed cake is still rich in high value nutritional compounds. Therefore, camelina seeds, oils, and seed meals or cakes are becoming increasingly important as ingredients for functional foods and cosmetics.