Status and perspective of canola quality rapeseed-mustard cultivation in India : a review

Abstract

Rapeseed-mustard (Brassica spp.) constitutes an important source of edible oil and meal. However,
traditional rapeseed-mustard varieties accumulate high amount of erucic acid and glucosinolate in their seeds.
These quantitatively inherited anti-nutritional factors drastically reduce the quality of rapeseed-mustard seed
oil and meal for consumption purposes. Development of rapeseed-mustard varieties with low erucic acid and
glucosinolate content, therefore, has been an important breeding objective worldwide. Breeding programmes
for developing canola quality (<2% erucic acid in oil and <30 μmoles of glucosinolate/g of oil-free seed meal)
rapeseed began in Canada as early as 1956. In India, however, the major efforts were made in the 1970’s
with the launch of Indo-Swedish and Indo-Canadian collaborative projects (1979–94) to improve rapeseedmustard
oil and meal quality and consequently varieties low in erucic acid and/or glucosinolate were
developed. However, the existence of a significant yield gap between potential yield and the yield obtained in
frontline demonstrations indicates the need for further refinement in technology packages for these varieties.
In addition, it is also important to educate the masses about the health benefits of canola quality oil. This paper
reviews the status and perspective of breeding and cultivation of canola quality rapeseed-mustard varieties,
besides highlighting the impact of technology on profitability, strategies, policies, and future outlook for canola
quality oil promotion in India.