Smart Earth launches world’s first Group 2 herbicide resistant camelina

After over a decade of development in collaboration with  Saskatchewan’s leading oilseed researchers, Smart Earth Camelina has announced the world’s first and only Group 2 herbicide resistant camelina variety. The new camelina seed variety SES1154HR (branded NewGold) is now available to growers and offers improved yield potential and larger seed size.

Smart Earth Camelina has been contracting Saskatchewan growers to produce camelina since 2013. Throughout these production seasons, Smart Earth and their production team have battled with broadleaf weeds and canola volunteers. The launch of NewGold is what producers have been waiting for: an in-crop broadleaf herbicide weed control option.

NewGold provides farmers in the Canadian prairies with an alternative cropping option that is disease resistant, drought-tolerant and destined for in demand oilseed markets. As a specialty crop, camelina also tends to have relatively low input costs and competitive returns.

Camelina is an oilseed belonging to the mustard family. With very good frost tolerance at the seedling stage and good performance on light to medium textured soils, camelina is an attractive alternative oilseed crop for western Canadian farmers. Camelina produces oil similar in properties to flax but growers are not burdened with difficult stubble management. There is strong demand for camelina oil  from the equine, canine and aquaculture industries, as the oil is high in nutritionally important Omega fatty acids.

Smart Earth Camelina’s NewGold variety is thifensulfuron-methyl resistant with an increased seed size of 40 per cent. With an additional 14 per cent yield advantage over the MIDAS™ variety, growers can expect 30 to 40 bushels per acre on fallow and 25 to 30 bushels per acre on stubble on average.

Because NewGold camelina is resistant to flea beetles, blackleg and blackspot, farmers will save on input costs as seed treatments with insecticide and fungicides and late-season insecticide sprays are not necessary. NewGold also has excellent resistance to downy mildew and good resistance to sclerotinia. It can be straight cut at harvest and pod shattering is a non-issue. Growers are also finding that camelina is an effective alternative oilseed crop for those wanting to remove volunteer canola from their fields but to keep it in their crop production rotation.

“The latest development out of our breeding program—our NewGold variety—will give Saskatchewan growers an even better opportunity to achieve high yields with lower inputs,” says Jack Grushcow, president and CEO of Smart Earth Camelina. “Camelina, and specifically the NewGold variety, is a great fit for growers with marginal lands who would like to take advantage of a shorter growing season. We know this year has been tough on many. Farmers looking to lower their input costs with a drought tolerant oilseed should give NewGold camelina a try.”

NewGold camelina is grown exclusively under contract. Growers can book their 2022 camelina contract now by calling Smart Earth’s crop production specialist, Carlene Sarvas, at 306-220-2737.

Photo provided by Smart Earth Camelina