Variability in glucosinolate content among Camelina species

Glucosinolate content in Camelina sativa (L.) Crantz (false flax, gold-of-pleasure) and its relatives C. microcarpa, C. alyssum, C. rumelica and C. hispida was investigated. With the exception of C. hispida in which GSL3 was absent, in all remaining species, three characteristic glucosinolates (GSL1, GSL2 and GSL3) were identified. Camelina genotypes of spring type (C. sativa CAM134, C. alyssum CAM21) showed a typical pattern of glucosenolates with GSL1 > GSL3. GSL1 was present in traces in C. microcarpa and at low levels in C. rumelica and C. alyssum subsp. alyssum. In C. hispida, the GSL1 content was greater than GSL2 and, only in this specie, GSL2 represented less than 50% of total glucosinolates. These differences in the glucosinolate pattern among Camelina species could be exploited to reduce the total content of glucosinolates in C. sativa.