MONITORING OF LIMITED WATER SUPPLY ON OILSEED CROP (CAMELINA SATIVA L. CRANTZ) UNDER SEMI-ARID ENVIRONMENT IN THE ALGERIAN AURES REGION

Abstract

This study investigates Camelina sativa, an emerging oilseed crop with potential for food, feed, and sustainable farming. Conducted at the Agroveterinary Institute, University of Batna 1 in Algeria, during the growing season of 2021-2022, the experiment evaluated the impact of four irrigation treatments replicates four times (T0: rainfed, T1: 100 % of crop evapotranspiration ETc, T2: 75 % ETc, and T3: 35 % ETc) using a completely randomized block design. The results revealed various effects of water deficits on Camelina yield, quality, and water use efficiency (WUE). The highest seed yield (20.77 q ha-1 ) was obtained with T1 (total water applied 287.85 mm), while the lowest (6.62 q ha1 ) was observed with T0 (151.20 mm of rainfall). The T2 treatment (total water applied 253.688 mm) led to a 14 % reduction in seed yield compared to full irrigation while achieving significant water savings of 25 %, with the highest values of irrigation water use efficiency IWUE for both grains and biomass at 1,095 and 5.24 kg m-3 , respectively. Moreover, deficit irrigation had a positive impact on seed protein content, which showed a negative correlation (r = -0.92) with oil content and water supply, highlighting the adaptability of Camelina to produce much higher quality grain under water-restricted conditions. Integrating Camelina sativa with deficit irrigation offers a sustainable agricultural strategy, optimizing water resources and promoting drought-tolerant crops. This approach improves water use efficiency, builds resilience, and adapts to areas vulnerable to climate change, addressing the critical nexus of food security and water management.

Keywords

• deficit irrigation
• camelina sativa
• water management
• water sustainability
• semi-arid