Yield and nutritional traits of Camelina (Camelina sativa L.) in response to sowing dates and Agroecological variations in Northern Ethiopia

Camelina sativa (L.) Crantz, is an oilseed crop of the Brassicaceae family. It has been cultivated for centuries as an oilseed crop for human food. This study investigated the effect of Agroecological variations and sowing dates on Camelina sativa yield and nutritional components in Tigray, Ethiopia. It was conducted over two growing seasons (2019 and 2020) in three Woredas (districts) having different Agroecological zones (lowland, midland and highland). A randomized complete block design was implemented in two Tabiyas (experimental sites) for each district. Prior to sowing, soil physicochemical properties were analyzed. Agroecological zones and sowing dates significantly affected (p ≤ 0.05) Camelina sativa seed yield and yield components. The highest seed yield per hectare was recorded at the high-altitude sites (2064.19 kg hectare−1) while the lowest was in the lowlands (656.67 kg hectare−1). Seed yield was also greater in the June sown plants (1409.35 kg hectare−1). Early sowing (June) consistently resulted in superior performance, with higher number of siliques per plant (332.91), number of seeds per silique (10.46), seed weight per plant (2.18 g), 1000 seeds weight (1.23 g), seed yield per plot (1.40 kg) and seed yield per hectare(1554.31 kg). Tabiya Seret exhibited the highest oil content (40.68%) and oil yield (842.36 kg) while Tabiya Mearey had the lowest oil content (34.08%) and oil yield (341.06 kg). The 2020 cultivated showed high oil yields of 594.14 kg/hectare compared to 493.60 kg/hectare from 2019. Oil yields were primarily influenced by seed yield variations with higher oil yield observed at higher altitudes. Therefore, sowing C. sativa in early June at higher altitudes enhance yield, yield components and oil contents.