Camelina genome analysis reveals how wild relatives could expand crop breeding options

Camelina is a relatively new oilseed gaining interest for its potential use in food, livestock feed and renewable fuel markets. A newly published research paper provides insights into the camelina genome that could give breeders new tools to develop varieties with improved performance, stronger adaptability and traits that matter at the farm level.

“Camelina is an ancient crop, but there is a lot of interest in it now to develop it as a modern crop. However, it has very low genetic diversity, and we wanted to increase that,” said Dr. Raju Chaudhary (Ph.D.), a research associate at GIFS and one of the lead authors of the new paper published in Nature Communications.

For producers, that genetic diversity is important because it can support the development of camelina varieties that are better suited to local growing conditions, more consistent in the field and better positioned to fit into existing crop rotations. For industry, it can help build the foundation for stronger supply chains and expanded markets for camelina-based products.

Tracing camelina’s genome evolution

The work highlighted in the paper builds on research started by Chaudhary during his Ph.D. studies at USask with Dr. Isobel Parkin (Ph.D.) at AAFC. Chaudhary said this research reflects a strong collaboration between GIFS and AAFC and builds substantially on the foundational work led by Parkin on camelina genome evolution and genetic diversity.

The researchers also identified how the structure of the camelina genome affects gene expression, which is an important step toward understanding how specific traits can be selected and improved through breeding.

“The evolution of this crop is interesting, as well as a mystery,” Chaudhary said. “We have provided a broad picture of how the proximity of the chromosomes in the nucleus contributes to gene expression. Exploring how these interactions influence important traits in the plant and how we can use that knowledge to improve the crop will be the next step.”

Wild camelina could expand breeding options

Dr. Andrew Sharpe (Ph.D.), a senior research scientist at GIFS and one of the contributors to the paper, said camelina has three main agricultural product opportunities: food, animal feed and potential biofuel applications.

He said these findings can help create “foundational resources” for scientists and breeders working with camelina, which could ultimately benefit producers looking for more crop options and industry partners looking for reliable supply.

“There are limited resources for breeders to use to generate new camelina varieties,” Sharpe said. “With this knowledge, we have a pretty good idea about the structure of genomes for other wild camelina species, which have much more diversity in them, and it means it’s now actually easier to transfer that diversity into crop camelina.”

That ability to bring new diversity into camelina could support future breeding for traits such as yield stability, improved oil quality, stress tolerance and greater adaptation to Western Canadian production systems.

“This research can have really big implications for the applied side, like breeding, especially in crops which have more limited genetic resources,” Sharpe said. “A lot of effort has been spent on wheat and canola, of course, but not as much on these other crops.”

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