Is camelina a low-input feedstock for biofuel production? Responses to nitrogen and tillage: from literature review to field data

Camelina ( Camelina sativa L. Crantz) can produce substantial oil yield with limited N fertilization, providing a low-environmental-footprint feedstock for renewable fuel production. This study aimed to: (i) analyze and summarize existing literature on camelina N fertilization, (ii) identify optimal N rates, sowing dates, and tillage practices for camelina production in northern Italy, (iii) evaluate greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from the agricultural phase of camelina production, (iv) and for the first time compile these three aspects of camelina production in a single manuscript. A three-year field study (2020–2023) conducted in northern Italy, using camelina cultivar ‘Alba’, evaluated two tillage practices (minimum tillage and no tillage), two sowing dates (early October and early November), and three top-dressed N rates (0, 60, and 120 kg N ha −1 ). Sowing date significantly affected plant height, plant density, seed yield, and oil yield. Tillage practice significantly affected plant density, seed oil content, and straw, seed, and oil yields. Nitrogen rate significantly affected thousand seed weight (TSW) and straw, seed, and oil yields. Highest seed and oil yields resulted from later sowing, minimum tillage, and ≥ 60 kg N ha −1 . Nonetheless, the lowest carbon intensity (CI) was achieved without N fertilization, under both minimum and no-tillage, a scenario compliant with current European Union (EU) regulatory criteria for GHG emissions from the agricultural phase of biofuel production. Although less productive, this approach minimized GHG emissions, as N 2 O emissions from fertilizer and crop residues have the highest impact on overall CI. Further research, including breeding for improved N-use efficiency, will support scale-up of camelina as a sustainable biofuel feedstock.