(University of Connecticut) … The research team is led by professor emerita Carol Auer and supported by a grant from the Biotechnology Risk Assessment Grant Program, an initiative of the USDA’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture. Auer and her research team have been gathering information about Camelina sativa, an oilseed crop that has never been grown commercially in Connecticut. Camelina has been subject to genetic modification to make products such as biofuels, dietary supplements, and bioplastics, and could become popular with farmers in the U.S.
Over the past decade, research groups around the world have been working to introduce new traits to camelina. A project in the U.K., for example, inserted genes from marine algae into camelina, forcing the seeds to produce high concentrations of omega-3 fatty acids. This important nutritional compound could be extracted to feed salmon in aquaculture facilities or improve human diets. Other projects have optimized camelina for biodiesel and jet fuel.
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Gene flow between plants depends upon the movement of pollen by wind or insects, and the fields at UConn have clearly shown that camelina attracts pollinators such as honey bees, native bumble bees, and flies.
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“Although it sounds simple, good baseline data about crop biology and ecology are essential to many regulatory decisions. In the long run, this research will help us manage biotechnology and improve coexistence in our farming systems.” READ MORE