However, in most situations, their presence is limited to minor damage, with no significant impact on camelina development. Also of note is the possible presence of slugs, which can cause damage at the start of the cycle.

Camelina can be attacked by crucifer flea beetles, or small flea beetles(Phyllotreta spp.). This small, black or bicolored beetle (black with a longitudinal yellow stripe on each elytron) measures between 2 and 2.5 mm and is characterized by its swollen hind legs, which enable it to jump.

Damage takes the form of numerous circular bites about 1 mm in diameter, with or without holes, on the cotyledons and leaf blades.

Although camelina belongs to the Brassicaceae family, it is much less attractive to flea beetles than rapeseed or mustard. So, barring exceptional situations, whether as a main crop or as a summer cover crop, no chemical intervention is generally necessary.

Adult crucifer beetles(Brassicogethes sp.) measure between 1.5 and 2.5 mm. They are flattened and shiny black with a metallic sheen, sometimes tinged with green. Their antennae are black, while their legs, which are short and often barely visible from the back, are black or reddish depending on the species.

Meligethes can only be found on camelina grown as a main crop. Only adults are responsible for damage. They perforate flower buds in search of pollen, notably damaging the pistil.

These perforations can lead to floral deformation, or even flower abortion in the case of early and sustained attacks. However, as soon as the first flowers appear, the level of damage diminishes sharply.

Overall, damage remains limited and has no significant impact on yield, as camelina is not very attractive to this insect. Therefore, except in exceptional situations, no chemical intervention is required.

Slugs can be a nuisance during crop emergence. Their activity depends more on surface moisture conditions than on the population density present in the plot.

Hollow or cloddy soils, as well as those containing undecomposed crop residues, provide a particularly favorable environment for their development.

In the absence of tillage, as is often the case when camelina is planted as a summer catch crop, slug activity can be significant in wet conditions.

If slugs are present, and if the climate maintains a certain surface coolness at the time of sowing, it is advisable to apply a preventive slug-killer in the field, just after sowing.

However, given the limited number of approved chemical solutions for weed control, both against grasses and broadleaf weeds, it is advisable to plant it in a clean, weed-free plot at the time of sowing.

It is also advisable to avoid situations of high weed pressure, particularly in the presence of resistant grasses or particularly invasive species such as mugwort(Ambrosia artemisiifolia).

Weed pressure

In 2024, agronomic monitoring was carried out on camelina plots planted as summer catch crops. The graph below shows significant to total weed cover on around a quarter of the areas observed. The main weed species observed were :

• Crop regrowth: barley and peas
• Annual broadleaf weeds: goosefoot, mercurial, bindweed, barnyard grass, ragwort, etc.
• Perennials: thistles

The graph below illustrates the level of weediness observed in camelina plots planted with summer cover crops, according to the type of previous crop. It shows that weed control is more complex after winter peas, notably due to the presence of pea regrowth and broadleaf weeds.

Weed pressure is one of the main limiting factors identified in the 2024 plot monitoring program, and weed management is therefore a key factor in ensuring crop success.

Weed management levers

First and foremost, it's important to choose a plot with a low risk of weed infestation, as control levers are limited during summer intercropping. To limit the risk of weed infestation, it's important to choose suitable crop successions, alternating spring and winter crops.

Beyond the choice of plot, it's important to sow camelina on clean soil. If weeds are present at harvest time, they can be managed by stubble ploughing, or with a total herbicide if camelina is direct-seeded.

Finally, there are a number of registered herbicides available for chemical weed control.

Below is a non-exhaustive list of authorized molecules (source: ephy-Anses and phytosanitary index):

Where winter cereals are grown before camelina, a herbicide treatment is essential in the event of heavy infestation of post-plant regrowth. To ensure optimum selectivity and maximum efficacy, the treatment should be carried out with a specific graminicide based on clethodim or quizalofop-P-ethyl, applied imperatively before the camelina resumes active growth (start of elongation).

If a herbicide is used in vegetation, whatever the product used, it must be applied before stem elongation begins, in order to limit any risk of phytotoxicity.

Mechanical weeding of summer catch crops is not relevant.

The choice of crop succession is an important lever in weed management: alternating winter and spring crops helps maintain low weed pressure on the plot.

As a main spring crop, camelina can be sown late due to its relatively short cycle length. This offers the opportunity to carry out several false sowings in spring, and reduce the weed population. Late sowing of camelina, which can be done as late as May, also makes it possible to avoid a large proportion of the spring weed flora, and create a real break in the rotation. The table below gives a non-exhaustive list of authorized control molecules (source: ephy-Anses and phytosanitary index).

If a herbicide is used in vegetation, whatever the product used, it must be applied before the start of stem elongation, in order to limit any risk of phytotoxicity.

As far as mechanical weed control is concerned, only one blind pass of the currycomb harrow can be used on the main crop. In post-emergence, the use of this tool is not recommended due to the high risk of pulling out plants.

It was widely cultivated until the early 20th century, producing an oil used in soaps and paints, before gradually disappearing in the face of competition from more productive oilseed crops such as rapeseed. At the time, the solid residues obtained after oil extraction were used as a feed supplement for livestock or as fertilizer; the stalks were used to make brooms.

Today, it is making a comeback on the European agricultural scene, and is attracting interest from a wide range of players, both farmers and manufacturers, thanks to its agronomic advantages and the new outlets it opens up.

Camelina has one major advantage: it adapts to a wide range of soil and climate conditions, and is particularly well suited to low-potential soils. It is often presented as a hardy crop, thanks to its low input requirements and resistance to drought and high temperatures. It is also fairly tolerant of pests and resistant to lodging. Camelina requires little fertilizer or pesticide, so its introduction into cropping systems has both economic and environmental benefits.

What's more, it doesn't require any special equipment, making it easy to introduce to farms. Nevertheless, due to its small seed size (PMG ≈ 1-1.5g), the planting and harvesting phases require adjustments and special attention.

An interesting feature of camelina is the length of its cycle, which varies according to variety and sowing period, from 90 to 250 days (1700 to 1900 degrees day at base 0°C, depending on variety). Camelina can therefore be grown as a main crop, in association with lentils, for example, or as a catch crop for short-cycle varieties (link to page on how to insert camelina into the SoC).

Its low input requirements, combined with its strong competitive power - provided it emerges regularly and evenly - mean that it has a place in organic farming rotations (link to organic farming page). Some farmers even report that it has an "allelopathic" effect, i.e. that it can naturally inhibit the growth of other undesirable plants around it. To our knowledge, this has not yet been demonstrated in the field.

All these advantages make it a crop that can be easily integrated into a variety of cropping systems in France and around the world, in both organic and conventional farming, as a main crop or as a catch crop.