THE EUROPEAN PROJECT ‘COSMOS’ FOR THE INTRODUCTION OF CAMELINA (Camelina sativa L.) AND CRAMBE (Crambe abyssinica L.) IN EUROPE: EARLY OBSERVATIONS FROM FIELD TRIALS IN THE MEDITERRANEAN BASIN

The European commission funded the project COSMOS (Camelina and crambe Oil crops as Sources of Medium-chain Oils for Specialty oleochemicals) within Horizon 2020 framework program since March 2015 for 54 months. Eighteen partners joined the consortium, and their activities are divided into eight interconnected work packages (WP). The main objectives of COSMOS are to introduce the cultivation of crambe and camelina across Europe in order to get a domestic production of medium chains fatty acids to replace part of the import of palm oil. Furthermore, the full valorization of the whole biomass produced (straws, pods, seed residues after oil extraction) by the two crops is of great importance for the project in order to derive new high value products by mean of advanced chemical and/or biological conversion technologies. From the agronomical point of view, for the first time in Southern Europe, a multi-location screening trial has been set up in order to identify the best genotypes of crambe and camelina. Ten varieties of crambe and eleven of camelina were grown at the experimental farm of the University of Bologna in spring 2015. A low input management has been adopted for both species: conventional soil tillage, low fertilization (<80 kg N ha-1), no herbicides and pesticides. The whole growth cycle of the two crops was monitored to determine the phenological phases and the growth rate. At harvest, seed yield, harvesting index, seed weight were determined. Thereafter, oil content was analyzed. Both species appeared well adapted to Mediterranean environment. Growing cycle lasted less than 100 days with remarkable high seed yields (> 2 Mg ha-1 DM). Camelina, in view of its short cycle and chilling tolerance, might represent an interesting opportunity also as winter crop or inter-crop before summer crops such as maize or soybean, thus filling the gap in shortage of alternative winter crops to wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) in the Mediterranean basin.