Legume, sunflower, camelina rotation may intensify bioenergy yields, returns

Biofuels Digest
Isabel Lane
April 16, 2012

In Florida, combining the planting of a biofuels crop with a legume and a short-season oilseed crop may make an intensive and short rotation of crops economically profitable, according to research performed by plant pathologist Dan Chellemi.

During 2010, he added a legume cover crop, which would supply part of the nitrogen, into the rotation with sunflowers. Once the sunflowers were harvested, he returned with Camelina sativa, a deep-rooted 70-day mustard crop known for producing seeds with high oil and high protein content. Because camelina also is a good nutrient forager, Chellemi applied no nitrogen to the plots. Chellemi indicated that while the data is preliminary and not yet conclusive, results warrant continuing trials this season.

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