Crambe is an alternative crop, precocious and with potential to produce oil during the cold season. The scarcity of information about climatic and phenological parameters led to the determination of basal temperature, crop growth cycle duration and growing degree-days of Crambe. The research was composed of seven sowing dates in 2009 and four in 2010. Basal temperature was determined by the methods of least variability and relative development. The basal temperature for the subperiod emergence-maturation (EME-MAT) was 9.5 °C, whereas for the subperiods seedling emergency-early flowering stage (EME-IFLO), seedling emergency-end of flowering (EME-FFLO) and early flowering-end of flowering (IFLO-FFLO) were 10.2 ºC, 10.8 °C and 10.0 ºC, respectively. The subperiod between EME-MAT ranged from 74 to 136 days with an average duration of 96 days. For EME-FLO, EME-FFLO and IFLO- FFLO the average duration was 52, 82 and 29 days, respectively. Considering the values †of basal temperature for each period or subperiod, the average time between EME-MAT was 691 ºC day, ranging between 576 ºC day and 792 ºC day. For EME-IFLO, EME-FFLO and IFLO-FFLO, the average was 279 ºC day, varying between 444 °C day and 220 ºC day.
Crambe abyssinica Hochst; temperature; phenology
