Camellia oil: Potential new SE crop

In 1999, CAES scientists began to develop Camellia oleifera as a commercial oilseed crop in the southeastern United States. Experimental plots have been evaluated in Tift and Johnson counties since 1999, along with seedlings from China. Maximum recorded yield in China is 750 kg of fruit per hectare which translates to ~80 gallons or 300 liters of camellia oil per acre. So far, we have identified clones that have yielded ~600 kg or more of fruit per hectare for three years. If such high yields occur in the U.S., camellia oil could be used for the production of biodiesel fuel. Tea oil camellia has potential to be grown from coastal North Carolina to eastern Texas. While we are still several years away from releasing cultivars, we hope to be putting out replicated field trials within the next few years. Research collaborations are being initiated to evaluate the properties of tea oil from camellias and to look at additional uses for this new crop. Companies in Australia, China, California (Arette), and Minnesota (Cargill) are interested in our work. As pest problems appear to be limited, organic production may be a possibility. If advanced selections perform well they will be released as UGA cultivars. Several selections are being evaluated for release as ornamental cultivars. Seeds from plants grown in Georgia will be crushed for analysis in fall of 2011.