Camelina sativa as winter intermediate crop preceding summer food crops

The European bioeconomy relies increasingly on imported biomass feedstocks, highlighting the need for more sustainable and resilient agricultural systems. The Horizon Europe project CARINA explores the integration of camelina (Camelina sativa (L.) Crantz) and carinata (Brassica carinata L.) as low-input oilseed crops to diversify cropping systems. This study evaluated camelina as a winter intermediate crop preceding summer food crops, sunflower (Helianthus annuus L.) and sorghum (Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench), within a double-cropping system. Field trials were conducted over two growing seasons (2022–2024) at the University of Bologna experimental farm in Cadriano, Italy, comparing three camelina varieties. A pelargonic acid–based bioherbicide was applied to accelerate desiccation and enable earlier harvest. The treatment achieved complete drying within six hours and allowed harvest seven days earlier than conventional maturity, resulting in higher seed yields by avoiding hailstorm damage. Among genotypes, the spring type CCE117 achieved the highest yield (0.9 Mg DM ha⁻¹). Sunflower proved well suited to double cropping, outperforming the conventional system, while sorghum was negatively affected by its longer growth cycle. Overall, the results demonstrate the agronomic flexibility of camelina as a winter intermediate crop and the effectiveness of pelargonic acid in synchronising and advancing harvest, supporting sustainable intensification of bio-based cropping systems.