Interactions between genetics and environment shape Camelina seed oil composition

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RESEARCH ARTICLE

Open Access

Interactions between genetics and environment shape Camelina seed oil composition Jordan R. Brock1, Trey Scott1, Amy Yoonjin Lee1, Sergei L. Mosyakin2 and Kenneth M. Olsen1*

Abstract Background: Camelina sativa (gold-of-pleasure) is a traditional European oilseed crop and emerging biofuel source with high levels of desirable fatty acids. A twentieth century germplasm bottleneck depleted genetic diversity in the crop, leading to recent interest in using wild relatives for crop improvement. However, little is known about seed oil content and genetic diversity in wild Camelina species. Results: We used gas chromatography, environmental niche assessment, and genotyping-by-sequencing to assess seed fatty acid composition, environmental distributions, and population structure in C. sativa and four congeners, with a primary focus on the crop’s wild progenitor, C. microcarpa. Fatty acid composition differed significantly between Camelina species, which occur in largely non-overlapping environments. The crop progenitor comprises three genetic subpopulations with discrete fatty acid compositions. Environment, subpopulation, and populationby-environment interactions were all important predictors for seed oil in these wild populations. A complementary growth chamber experiment using C. sativa confirmed that growing conditions can dramatically affect both oil quantity and fatty acid composition in Camelina. Conclusions: Genetics, environmental conditions, and genotype-by-environment interactions all contribute to fatty acid variation in Camelina species. These insights suggest careful breeding may overcome the unfavorable FA compositions in oilseed crops that are predicted with warming climates. Keywords: Camelina, Fatty acid, Environmental association, Oil content, Population structure, Phenotypic plasticity, Wild crop relatives

Background Camelina sativa (L.) Crantz is a historically important oilseed crop of Europe that has recently gained attention as a potential biofuel source [1–4] and plant factory for high-value molecules [5–9]. Much attention has been given to this species’ high seed oil content (28–43%) and its favorable fatty acid (FA) composition, which includes high levels of omega-3 FA [10, 11] and long-chain FAs that are amenable for aviation biofuels [4]. However, * Correspondence: [email protected] 1 Department of Biology, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO 63130, USA Full list of author information is available at the end of the article

modern C. sativa varieties are characterized by low genetic diversity [12–14], which has hampered selective breeding programs in the crop. This lack of variation likely reflects a major loss of varietal diversity that occurred in the latter half of the twentieth Century, as C. sativa cultivation was largely abandoned throughout Europe in favor of higher-yielding oilseed rape. Knowledge of the genetic diversity and seed oil composition of C. sativa’s reproductively compatible wild relatives could thus be valuable for harnessing gen