Influence of Organic Fertilization and Soil Tillage on the Yield and Quality of Cold-Pressed Camelina [Camelina sativa (L.) Crantz] Seed Cake: An Alternative Feed Ingredient

Abstract

Camelina [Camelina sativa (L.) Crantz] oilseed cake has been identified as an alternative protein feedstuff and as a valuable feed resource. Moreover, over the last decades, there has been an increased interest in the organic production of feed supplements. A 2-year field experiment was conducted in a split-plot design with three replications, two main plots (conventional tillage: moldboard ploughing at 25 cm followed by rotary hoeing at 10–15 cm, and minimum tillage: chiseling at 25 cm depth followed by rotary hoeing at 10–15 cm), and three sub-plots (organic fertilization type: untreated, vermicompost, and compost) to evaluate the fertilization and tillage system effect on the yield and quality of cold-pressed camelina seed cake. Seed yield and cake yield were only affected by organic fertilization, with the highest values observed in the compost treatment. Crude protein was influenced by both factors examined, and the greatest content was found under conventional tillage and compost application. As for the fatty acid composition of oilseed cake, this can be characterized as a major source of polyunsaturated fatty acids (~52% of total FAs), particularly linoleic acid and α-linolenic acid, which were only affected by fertilization, with the highest values found after compost application. To conclude, the cold-pressed cake from camelina seed cultivated under compost fertilization and conventional tillage appears to be an effective alternative to conventionally used protein feed ingredients.