High-Throughput Screening for Increased Oil Production in Camelina sativa

Camelina sativa is an oilseed crop which shows promise as a chemical feedstock for biofuels. Camelina is closely related to the model plant for genetics research, Arabidopsis thaliana, making it an ideal candidate for targeted changes in the genetic code. A loss-of-function mutation in the GLABRA2 (GL2) gene in Arabidopsis results in low mucilage content and higher levels of seed oil.  Thus, the main objective of this project was to efficiently screen Camelina seeds subjected to TILLING (Targeting Induced Local Lesions IN Genomes) and targeted growth for phenotypes of seed size, mass, and low mucilage content due to a positive correlation with increased seed oil production. Several lines of mutagenic seeds were found to be approximately 50% smaller by mass than the rest of the population. One of these lines exhibited a smaller overall plant, which suggests the presence of a mutation that has a global effect on plant size phenotype rather than a seed specific mutation. Several mutant lines showed significantly less mucilage production, but no seeds showed total absence of mucilage. Lines of high oil density mutants and mutants that showed phenotypes associated with increased or decreased oil production were selected for lipidomics and additional screening.