Abstract Camelina sativa , an oilseed crop of the Brassicaceae family, has close relatives that vary in ploidy levels, providing a unique platform for studying plant genome evolution. Here, we report an improved assembly of the widely used C. sativa reference DH55 and three additional genome assemblies of Camelina microcarpa : one tetraploid, and two hexaploids with divergent chromosome numbers, Type 1 (2n = 40) and Type 2 (2n = 38). We uncover the fourth subgenome of the Camelina genus that of C. microcarpa Type 2, which shows numerous unique chromosomal rearrangements differentiating it from other characterized Camelina subgenomes. In this recently formed species, the second subgenome displays gene expression dominance, contrary to expectations from the two-step evolutionary process invoked in the generation of related Brassicaceae species. The observed gene dominance is negatively correlated with inter-subgenome chromatin interaction frequencies, suggesting chromosome conformation and proximity in the nucleus contribute to this mechanism of genome evolution.

Camelina sativa is an oilseed of the Brassicaceae , whose close relatives vary in ploidy number, providing a novel platform for studying plant genome evolution. The availability of diploid, tetraploid and hexaploid species of Camelina allow the evolutionary trajectory and fate of duplicated genes in the neopolyploid Camelina species to be elucidated. Here we report an improved assembly of the widely used C. sativa reference DH55 and three new genome assemblies of Camelina microcarpa ; one tetraploid CN119243 (2n = 26), and two hexaploids with divergent chromosome numbers, Type 1 - CN119205 (2n=40) and Type 2 - CN120025 (2n=38). The tetraploid represents the first step in the evolutionary path to form C. sativa , while the hexaploids suggest three divergent lineages in the formation of higher ploidy Camelina species. The previously uncharacterized fourth subgenome found in C. microcarpa Type 2, although showing some homology to the C. sativa diploid progenitor genome, C. neglecta , showed numerous unique chromosomal rearrangements differentiating it from other subgenomes present in known Camelina species. Although this species was recently formed, the second subgenome showed gene expression dominance, which was in contrast to both 2n=40 Camelina species where the third subgenome was dominant. The expression dominance in Type 2 C. microcarpa contradicted the accepted two-step evolutionary process which led to the generation of related Brassicaceae species. However, the observed genome dominance in all Camelina species was negatively correlated with inter-subgenome chromatin interaction frequencies, suggesting that chromosome confirmation and proximity in the nucleus contributes to this mechanism of genome evolution. Despite the differences in genome structure, successful inter-specific hybridization provided evidence of chromosomal exchange between the divergent third sub-genomes of C. sativa and C. microcarpa Type 2, opening up a novel avenue to new diversity in the established oilseed. Key points ### Competing Interest Statement The authors have declared no competing interest. All sequence data is deposited at the EBI-ENA under accession: PRJEB96055. The genome assemblies are available at

Ethiopian mustard (Brassica carinata A. Braun) shows potential for diverse applications, including as leafy greens, green manure and oilseed feedstock for biofuels. This study evaluated the seed and oil production potential and phenotypic diversity of 49 B. carinata accessions through trials conducted in 2018 at the Holeta and Asela Research Centers in Ethiopia, using a lattice design. Data were collected on phenological, morphological, agronomic and seed quality traits. The analysis revealed significant variability across most traits, except for silique width and oil and protein content at Asela, and main raceme length and total glucosinolate content at Holeta. Combined analysis showed significant genotype-by-location interactions for flowering date, seeds per silique and seed yield per hectare, indicating a strong environmental influence on these traits. Phenotypic and genotypic correlation analyses identified strong positive correlations between leaf traits and phenology, seed yield and seed quality, while oil content was negatively associated with protein and glucosinolate content. Principal component analysis identified five components at Asela and six components at Holeta with eigenvalues greater than one, explaining over 77% of the total variation at both locations. Key traits such as plant height, seed yield and oil content contributed significantly to these principal components. Cluster analysis grouped the accessions into three clusters based on distinct trait combinations. Accessions 17545, 21373, 24203 and 24495 consistently performed well across multiple traits across sites, making them strong candidates for breeding programmes focused on improving seed yield and quality in B. carinata.

Newly formed polyploids often face the challenge of genomic instability, which is usually observed as abnormal meiotic chromosome behaviour and poor fertility. However, the parental diploids of newly formed polyploids, as well as natural or evolved versions of the same polyploids, have usually adapted to these challenges and show regular meiosis and fertility. In this study, we assessed fertility and meiotic chromosome behaviour in established Brassica carinata , resynthesized B. carinata resulting from crosses between parental diploid species B. nigra and B. oleracea , and hybrids generated between these established and resynthesized B . carinata (resynthesized hybrids) using a combination of fertility estimates (seeds generated per pod, total seed set, and percentage pollen viability), and classical and molecular cytogenetic techniques. Cytological analysis revealed an expected chromosome number of 2 n = 34 in the established B . carinata lines, whereas the resynthesized lines had 1–2 missing chromosomes. Fluorescent in situ hybridisation revealed that the B . nigra -contributed subgenome of B. carinata was more prone to chromosome loss. Hybridisation between the established and resynthesized B . carinata lines resulted in an improvement in fertility and meiotic behaviour in comparison to the pure resynthesized lines. Also, meiotic chromosome behaviour and fertility in the resynthesized hybrids showed an improvement across generations, implying a combination of hybridisation with an established polyploid and cultivation over generations may hasten genomic stability in newly synthesized polyploid lineages.

Winter camelina (Camelina sativa) is a climate-resilient oilseed crop that has received attention as a feedstock crop for advanced, low-carbon-intensity biofuels. Breeding programs working on winter camelina improvement have to contend with heterogeneous germplasm, oftentimes erroneously identified as winter biotypes, and a gene pool that is much smaller than that of spring-type camelina, the latter having motivated crosses between winter and spring biotypes. For the unequivocal differentiation of winter from spring types at an early stage, breeders require a tool to track the vernalization requirement trait in segregating breeding populations as well as in putative winter cultivars, breeding lines, and accessions to be used as parental lines. Linkage mapping in a winter (‘Joelle’) × spring (‘SES0787LS’) C. sativa biparental F2 population identified two major quantitative trait loci (QTLs) for vernalization requirement on chromosomes 8 and 13. Both regions contained orthologs of Flowering Locus C (FLC), a gene known to have a significant effect on flowering time and vernalization requirement in plants. Based on the FLC gene sequences, allele-specific PCR-based markers were developed, suitable for the routine screening of C. sativa germplasm for the presence of the winter and spring alleles of all three C. sativa FLC orthologs, including a chromosome 20 locus. The analysis of the winter cultivar ‘Joelle’ and a diverse C. sativa germplasm panel uncovered greater than expected variability for the FLC alleles, with most lines possessing several different allele combinations and still undergoing genetic segregation. Contrary to previous reports, spring camelina lines can carry the spring and/or winter alleles of Csa.FLC.C20, indicating that this gene by itself only plays a subordinate role in the regulation of flowering and vernalization requirement. In winter C. sativa germplasm, combinations of Csa.FLC.C08 winter alleles with the winter alleles of one or both of Csa.FLC.C13 and Csa.FLC.C20 result in vernalization requirement, while winter Csa.FLC.C08 by itself leads to a semi-winter type. The results of this study and the tools developed herein are a first step to orchestrating the genes underlying vernalization requirement in C. sativa and developing winter camelina cultivars optimized for different winter environments.

Camelina (Camelina sativa) elite germplasm C17-833 was developed at the Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada Saskatoon Research and Development Centre. It was developed through hybridization of camelina cultivar AAC 10CS0048 and F4 line 11CS0231-24-10 and subsequent pedigree selection. C17-833 yields significantly higher (114%) than the check cultivar AAC 10CS0048. It also has significantly higher seed oil content (42.6 vs. 41.9%) and significantly larger seeds (126%). C17-833 has very good resistance to downy mildew disease caused by Hyalonospora camelinae and is adapted to all soil zones of the Canadian Prairies.

Camelina [Camelina sativa (L.) Crantz] is a Brassicaceae oilseed that is gaining interest worldwide as low-maintenance crop for diverse biobased applications. One of the most important factors determining its productivity is climate. We conducted a bioclimate analysis in order to analyze the relationship between climatic factors and the productivity of spring-type camelina seeded in the spring, and to identify regions of the world with potential for camelina in this scenario. Using the modelling tool CLIMEX, a bioclimatic model was developed for spring-seeded spring-type camelina to match distribution, reported seed yields and phenology records in North America. Distribution, yield, and phenology data from outside of North America were used as independent datasets for model validation and demonstrated that model projections agreed with published distribution records, reported spring-seeded camelina yields, and closely predicted crop phenology in Europe, South America, and Asia. Sensitivity analysis, used to quantify the response of camelina to changes in precipitation and temperature, indicated that crop performance was more sensitive to moisture than temperature index parameters, suggesting that the yield potential of spring-seeded camelina may be more strongly impacted by water-limited conditions than by high temperatures. Incremental climate scenarios also revealed that spring-seeded camelina production will exhibit yield shifts at the continental scale as temperature and precipitation deviate from current conditions. Yield data were compared with indices of climatic suitability to provide estimates of potential worldwide camelina productivity. This information was used to identify new areas where spring-seeded camelina could be grown and areas that may permit expanded production, including eastern Europe, China, eastern Russia, Australia and New Zealand. Our model is the first to have taken a systematic approach to determine suitable regions for potential worldwide production of spring-seeded camelina. Using the modelling tool CLIMEX, we developed a bioclimate model to investigate the relationship between climate and the productivity of spring-seeded camelina and to identify regions worldwide suitable for spring-seeded camelina production. The analysis resulted in identification of areas that may permit expanded production and new areas suited for spring-seeded camelina; results further suggest that camelina yield potential is more impacted by water limitation than heat. The model developed here can be used for climate change analyses and for the development of models for camelina in other production scenarios, like spring-type camelina seeded in the fall or winter-type camelina.image

Climate change poses a significant threat to agricultural systems, with drought becoming increasingly prevalent in the Canadian prairies. This study addresses the urgent need to enhance crop resilience, focusing on Brassica carinata , a promising industrial feedstock crop used for the production of biofuels. Our research aims to comprehensively evaluate drought adaptive capacity in B. carinata through a combination of physiological and digital phenotyping methods. Under controlled conditions, we utilized a high-throughput phenotyping platform, the Plantarray system, to screen B. carinata germplasm. This system facilitated precise measurements of physiological traits, soil conditions, and atmospheric parameters, enabling the assessment of drought response. Concurrently, we conducted a field phenotyping experiment with 47 B. carinata Nested Association Mapping (NAM) founder lines and two B. napus checks, under irrigated and non-irrigated conditions. Aerial imagery obtained through Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs), complemented by phenological observations and manually recorded phenotypic data, was systematically gathered. Digital phenotypes extracted from aerial images are analyzed to identify a digital phenotype(s) for drought tolerance. Our study also explores the correlation between indoor physiological data and field performance of B. carinata lines, in an effort to identify parameters that can serve as reliable predictors of seed yield under drought stress. Overall, we believe this research provides valuable insights for enhancing crop resilience to drought.

AbstractVernalization requirement is an integral component of flowering in winter-type plants. The availability of winter ecotypes amongCamelinaspecies facilitated the mapping of QTL for vernalization requirement inC. sativa. An inter- and intraspecific crossing scheme between relatedCamelinaspecies, where two different sources of the winter-type habit were used, resulted in the development of two segregating populations. Linkage maps generated with sequence-based markers identified three QTL associated with vernalization requirement inC. sativa; two from the inter-specific (chromosomes 13 and 20) and one from the intra-specific cross (chromosome 8). Notably, the three loci were mapped to different homologous regions of the hexaploidC. sativagenome. All three QTL were found in proximity toFLOWERING LOCUS C(FLC), variants of which have been reported to affect the vernalization requirement in plants. Temporal transcriptome analysis for winter-typeCamelina alyssumdemonstrated reduction in expression ofFLCon chromosomes 13 and 20 during cold treatment, which would trigger flowering, sinceFLCwould be expected to suppress floral initiation.FLCon chromosome 8 also showed reduced expression in theC. sativassp.pilosawinter parent upon cold treatment, but was expressed at very high levels across all time points in the spring-typeC. sativa. The chromosome 8 copy carried a deletion in the spring-type line, which could impact its functionality. Contrary to previous reports, all threeFLCloci can contribute to controlling the vernalization response inC. sativaand provide opportunities for manipulating this requirement in the crop.Significance StatementDeveloping winterC. sativagermplasm is an important breeding goal for this alternative oilseed, with application in the food, fuel and bioproduct industries. Studying the genetic architecture of the vernalization response has shown that contrary to previous reports all threeFLCloci inCamelinaspecies could be exploited to manipulate this important trait.

Vernalization requirement is an integral component of flowering in winter-type plants. The availability of winter ecotypes among Camelina species facilitated the mapping of quantitative trait loci (QTL) for vernalization requirement in Camelina sativa. An inter and intraspecific crossing scheme between related Camelina species, where one spring and two different sources of winter-type habit were used, resulted in the development of two segregating populations. Linkage maps generated with sequence-based markers identified three QTLs associated with vernalization requirement in C. sativa; two from the interspecific (chromosomes 13 and 20) and one from the intraspecific cross (chromosome 8). Notably, the three loci were mapped to different homologous regions of the hexaploid C. sativa genome. All three QTLs were found in proximity to Flowering Locus C (FLC), variants of which have been reported to affect the vernalization requirement in plants. Temporal transcriptome analysis for winter-type Camelina alyssum demonstrated reduction in expression of FLC on chromosomes 13 and 20 during cold treatment, which would trigger flowering, since FLC would be expected to suppress floral initiation. FLC on chromosome 8 also showed reduced expression in the C. sativa ssp. pilosa winter parent upon cold treatment, but was expressed at very high levels across all time points in the spring-type C. sativa. The chromosome 8 copy carried a deletion in the spring-type line, which could impact its functionality. Contrary to previous reports, all three FLC loci can contribute to controlling the vernalization response in C. sativa and provide opportunities for manipulating this requirement in the crop.

Climate change is predicted to have a more profound impact on the Canadian Prairies compared to other regions in the world, with higher relative temperatures, longer periods of water stress and increased frequency of droughts. Camelina sativa (camelina) is a promising alternative, climate-resilient oilseed that could become part of a Canadian strategy to battle climate change and its detrimental effects on agriculture. Albeit currently a small crop, camelina has enormous potential for growth: favorable agronomics, like early maturity, frost and drought tolerance, pest and disease resistance, as well as exceptional winter hardiness in true winter types in combination with a unique oil profile render it an excellent feedstock crop not only for biofuel, but also high value feed and food uses. Uses for camelina oil and meal include industrial applications (e.g. biodiesel, lubricants, and polymers) and higher value areas such as cosmetics, Omega-3 supplements for human and companion animal nutrition, and applications in the livestock, poultry and aquaculture feed sectors. As a relatively undeveloped crop, there is significant potential for improvement of both agronomic and seed quality characteristics. This presentation will provide an overview of current camelina breeding and crop development efforts underway at the AAFC Research and Development Center in Saskatoon in collaboration with industry. This includes variety and germplasm development in spring- and winter-type camelina, insights into the genomics of camelina as well as recent developments in the Canadian camelina industry.

Camelina sativa (L.) Crantz is one of the oldest oilseed crops in Europe. Over the last twenty years, it has reemerged as a very promising alternative oilseed crop. Camelina has broad environmental adaptability, a wide range of resistances to pests and diseases, low-input requirements, and multiple industrial and feed applications exist for its seed oil and meal. In a multi-environment study conducted in Serbia, seven yield-related traits, including plant height (PH), height to the first branch (HFB), number of lateral branches (NLB), number of seed capsules per plant (NSCP), number of seeds per plant (NSP), mass of seeds per plant (MSP), and the total percentage of oil in the seed (TPOS), were analyzed in 20 spring camelina accessions. The combination of two years, two locations, and two sowing dates (autumn and spring) resulted in eight different environments across which the performance of the accessions was evaluated. The aims of the study were (a) to provide a phenotypic characterization and performance evaluation of the camelina accessions, (b) to identify correlations between the selected traits, and (c) to determine the effect of environmental factors on the traits. Environments contributed to the largest proportion in the total variance, explaining approximately 90% of the variance for all traits, except for NLB (70.96%) and TPOS (42.56%). The additive main effects and multiplicative interaction model (AMMI) showed that the weather conditions, and seeding dates were the most influential environmental factor. Location had a minor to moderate effect on the investigated traits. Lines CK3X-7 and Maksimir had the highest seed yields, and CK2X–9 and CJ11X–43 had the highest seed oil contents. All four lines had good adaptability and yield stability, making them the most suitable candidates for cultivation in the environmental conditions of Serbia in southeastern Europe. The present results reveal a potential for developing higher-yielding camelina cultivars with increased seed oil content and improved adaptability to various environmental conditions.

Genomic prediction is a promising technology for advancing both plant and animal breeding, with many different prediction models evaluated in the literature. It has been suggested that the ability of powerful nonlinear models such as deep neural networks to capture complex epistatic effects between markers offers advantages for genomic prediction. However, these methods tend not to outperform classical linear methods, leaving it an open question why this capacity to model nonlinear effects does not seem to result in better predictive capability. In this work, we propose the theory that, due to a principle called shortcut learning, deep neural networks tend to base their predictions on overall genetic relatedness, rather than on the effects of particular markers, such as epistatic effects. Using several datasets of crop plants (lentil, wheat, and Brassica carinata), we demonstrate the network’s indifference to the values of the markers by showing that the same network, provided with only the locations of matches between markers for two individuals, is able to perform prediction to the same level of accuracy.

Winter camelina [Camelina sativa (L.) Crantz], a multifunctional oilseed crop, offers the potential to sustainably diversify cropping systems across the USA and Europe. However, to promote winter camelina as a widespread sustainable and profitable crop, it is imperative to know how different environmental conditions impact its seed oil content and fatty acid (FA) composition. The objective of this study was to compare the seed qualitative traits [i.e., 1000-kernel weight (TKW), seed oil content, FA profile and saturation] of a winter camelina cv. Joelle, grown across six different environments (Poland, Italy, Greece, Canada, USA, and Spain). Winter camelina seed qualitative traits varied significantly across environments. Average TKW across regions ranged from 0.77 to 1.07 g, with the heaviest and the lightest seeds produced in Poland and Spain, respectively. Joelle seed oil content varied across locations from 35.1-41.9 %. A significant and negative relationship between seed oil content (r(2) = 0.50, P <= 0.05) and TKW (r(2) = 0.44, P <= 0.05) and growing degree days (GDD)/number of days from sowing to harvest demonstrated that environments with a short growing cycle and high temperatures depressed seed oil content and seed weight. Joelle TKW, seed oil content, linolenic acid (C18:3) content, and omega-3/omega-6 FA ratio (n-3/n-6) were promoted when grown in environments with prolonged growing seasons and evenly distributed precipitation. Results indicate that growing conditions should be carefully considered for the future large scale production of camelina as prevailing climate variables will likely influence seed quality, thus affecting the suitability for various end-uses.

Brassica carinata, also known as Ethiopian or Abyssinian mustard, is a drought- and heat-tolerant oilseed with great potential as a dedicated industrial feedstock crop for use in biofuel and other bio-based applications. Doubled haploid technology, a system that allows for the rapid development of doubled haploid, completely homozygous plants through microspore embryogenesis, has been applied routinely in both B. carinata breeding and basic research. Here, we present a comprehensive isolated microspore culture protocol detailing the various steps involved in doubled haploid plant production for this species, from growing donor plants over harvesting flower buds and isolating, culturing and inducing microspores to regenerating doubled haploid embryos and plantlets.

Key message Disomic alien chromosome addition Brassica carinata lines with super-high erucic acid content were developed through interspecific hybridization with B. juncea and characterized using molecular, cytological and biochemical techniques. Abstract Brassica carinata [A.] Braun (BBCC, 2 n = 34) is a climate-resilient oilseed. Its seed oil is high in erucic acid (> 40%), rendering it well suited for the production of biofuel and other bio-based applications. To enhance the competitiveness of B. carinata with high erucic B. napus (HEAR), lines with super-high erucic acid content were developed through interspecific hybridization. To this end, a fad2B null allele from Brassica juncea (AABB, 2 n = 36) was introgressed into B. carinata , resulting in a B. carinata fad2 B mutant with erucic acid levels of over 50%. Subsequently, the FAE allele from B. rapa spp. yellow sarson (AA, 2 n = 20) was transferred to the fad2B B. carinata line, yielding lines with erucic acid contents of up to 57.9%. Molecular analysis using the Brassica 90 K Illumina Infinium™ SNP genotyping array identified these lines as disomic alien chromosome addition lines, with two extra A08 chromosomes containing the BrFAE gene. The alien chromosomes from B. rapa were clearly distinguished by molecular cytogenetics in one of the addition lines. Analysis of microspore-derived offspring and hybrids from crosses with a CMS B. carinata line showed that the transfer rate of the A08 chromosome into male gametes was over 98%, resulting in almost completely stable transmission of an A08 chromosome copy into the progeny. The increase in erucic acid levels was accompanied by changes in the proportions of other fatty acids depending on the genetic changes that were introduced in the interspecific hybrids, providing valuable insights into erucic acid metabolism in Brassica .

SES0787LS is a camelina (Camelina sativa) cultivar developed at Smart Earth Camelina Corporation in Saskatoon, SK. It was developed via hybridization followed by pedigree selection. SES0787LS has significantly higher (12%) seed yield and significantly larger seeds (29.6%) than the check cultivar AAC 10CS0048 and is adapted to all soil zones of the Canadian Prairies.

Acquiring high-resolution images in the field for image-based crop phenotyping is typically performed by complicated, custom built "pheno-mobiles." In this paper, we demonstrate that large datasets of crop row images can be easily acquired with consumer cameras attached to a regular tractor. Localization and labeling of individual rows of plants are performed by a computer vision approach, rather than sophisticated real-time geo-location hardware on the tractor. We evaluate our approach for cropping rows of early-season plants from a Brassica carinata field trial where we achieve 100% recall and 99% precision. We also demonstrate a proof-of-concept plant counting method for our ProTractor system using an object detection network that achieves a mean average precision of 0.82 when detecting plants, and an R2 of 0.89 when counting plants. The ProTractor design and software are open source to advance the collection of large outdoor plant phenotyping datasets with inexpensive and easy to use acquisition systems.

Camelina (Camelina sativa (L.) Crantz) is an oilseed crop of the family Brassicaceae. In the past, camelina was used mainly in food production. However, the species also has numerous industrial applications. The aim of this study was to determine the agronomic performance (seed, straw and oil yield) and the qualitative parameters (oil and protein content, fatty acid composition) of 10 spring camelina genotypes. The experiment was conducted from 2015 to 2018 in north-eastern Poland. The phenological phases, seed and biomass yield, and the composition of spring camelina seeds, including oil and protein content and fatty acid composition, were determined. The cumulative growing degree days from sowing to maturity for all genotypes were determined at 1200 degrees C d. Seed yield ranged from 1.70 Mg ha(-1) dry matter (d.m.) in genotype 787-15 to 2.21 Mg ha(-1) d.m. in genotype 887. Seed oil content was determined at 39.3-42.2% d.m. Oil yield was high in genotype 787-15 (0.93 Mg ha(-1)) and low in genotype 887 (0.69 Mg ha(-1)). Three main genotype groups were identified during the study. The first group was characterized by a high content of monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFAs) and a low content of polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs). These genotypes were abundant in linolenic acid. The second group was composed of genotypes with a high content of PUFAs and a low content of MUFAs and saturated fatty acids (SFAs). These genotypes were characterized by high oil yields and a high content of linoleic acid. The third group was characterized by a high content of SFAs, a high content of PUFAs and a low content of MUFAs. The tested spring camelina genotypes had a high yield potential (in particular genotypes 787-15, 787-08 and 787-05) and were good candidates for commercial cultivation in the temperate climate of Central Europe. Genotype 887 cannot be recommended for cultivation due to its low seed yield, low oil content and low oil yield.

Camelina (Camelina sativa L. Crantz) is considered a relatively new oilseed Brassicacea in both Europe and North America, even though its history as a crop dates back to the Bronze Age. Camelina has recently received renewed interest from both the scientific community and bio-based industries around the world. The main attractive features of this species are: drought and frost tolerance, disease and pest resistance, a unique seed oil composition with high levels of n-3 fatty acids, a considerably high seed oil content, and satisfactory seed yields, in particular under low-input management and in limiting environments. Aiming at evaluating the feasible introduction of recently released camelina breeding lines under different environmental conditions and their productive potential a multi-location trial was set up. The agronomic performance of nine improved genotypes of camelina was evaluated in a wide range of environments in Europe (Greece, Italy, Poland) and in five locations across Canada, in two consecutive growing seasons (2015 and 2016). Sowing time was optimized for each location according to the different climatic conditions. Camelina proved to be a highly adaptable species, reaching seed yields of about 1MgDMha−1 under the most limiting conditions (i.e., low precipitation, poor soil quality, extremely high temperature at flowering). Growing environments characterized by mild temperatures and adequate rainfall (>170mm, during the growing season) resulted in higher average seed yields. The length of the growing cycle varied greatly between different locations (80–110d), but the cumulative thermal time was quite stable (∼1200 GDD, growing degree days). The advanced breeding line 787–08, which possesses up to 30% larger seed compared to the mean seed size of all other test entries, proved to be the most promising genotype across all locations in Europe and Canada, combining high seed yields (1.1–2.7MgDMha−1) with improved yield stability. To the best of our knowledge, for the first time, camelina lines with improved oil composition (i.e., increased oleic and α-linolenic and lower linoleic acid contents) for feed, food and industrial applications were identified (789–02 and 887).