Preface

Oilseeds are one of the most dynamic components of global agriculture, their annual growth rate of 4.1% having exceeded agricultural and livestock output growth over the last three decades. Oilseed crops belong to a variety of plant groups, and oil is their most valuable by-product, both as a food source and feedstock. Different oilseed crops have varying oil contents, ranging from 20% for soybean to 40% for sunflowers. Oilseed is also a raw material for a variety of oleochemical enterprises. The manufacture of soaps, detergents, greases, lubricants, and candles has traditionally been the primary non-food use for the by-products of oilseed crops. Soybean, sunflower, *Brassica*, canola, coconut, oil palm, rapeseed, peanuts, rice, olive and cotton are some of the most common and important oilseed crops in the world. While soybean and sunflower require high temperatures, cool climatic conditions are suitable for the cultivation of major oilseed crops like *Brassica* spp., with their considerable economic and nutritional value. The genus *Brassica* belongs to the Brassicaceae family, which has nearly 435 genera and 3675 species. Plants of the *Brassica* genus are well-known as edible oil, vegetables, and silage, and are the most important oil crops in some Asian countries. Cultivation of these crops has increased dramatically over the past few decades, reaching more than 300 million hectares in 2014. Due mainly to their use in industries and potential as biofuels, oilseed crops are playing an important role in the reduction of demand for fossil fuels. The growing global population is increasing the demand for edible oils, although only about 7.5 million tons are produced annually. In order to increase oilseed crop production and global competitiveness, researchers must seek out the best conventional and molecular approaches.

The six chapters in this book deal with the physiological and molecular mechanisms of oilseed crops and discuss various aspects of oilseed production and use. We believe that this book is will be useful for undergraduate and graduate students, teachers, and researchers, particularly from in the fields of Agronomy and Crop Science.

We would like to thank all the authors for their outstanding and timely contributions. We are very grateful to Lucija Tomicic-Dromgool, Commissioning Editor, and to Jasna Bozic and Marina Dusevic, Author Service Managers, at IntechOpen for their prompt responses during the production of this book. We also thank Farzana Nowroz, Ayesha Siddika and Md. Rakib Hossain Raihan for reviews and formatting.

> **Mirza Hasanuzzaman** Department of Agronomy, Sher-e-Bangla Agricultural University, Dhaka, Bangladesh

> **Kamrun Nahar** Department of Agricultural Botany, Sher-e-Bangla Agricultural University, Dhaka, Bangladesh

**1**

**Chapter 1**

**Abstract**

seeds, weeds

**1. Introduction**

Management

Oilseed Rape: Biology, Use, Current

Cultivation Issues and Agronomic

Oilseed rape is an economically crucial agricultural crop widely grown in many countries. It is an herbaceous plant which belongs to the *Brassicaceae* family and, according to the nature of vegetation, is present in spring and winter subspecies. Over the years, the area of oilseed rape increased due to its widespread use for producing technical and food oil, fuel and other market needs. Oilseed rape oil is one of the most widely used food oils on the globe. It is valued for its high content of unsaturated fatty acids and odorlessness. The yield of oilseed rape mainly depends on its genetic potential, agronomic management, and environmental conditions. Thus, oilseed rape growers worldwide meet not only common, but also climate zone-specific agronomic issues, e.g., various unfavourable abiotic and biotic factors characteristic to a particular climate zone. Thanks to the efforts of breeders, scientists, and chemical companies, the solutions to the big problems such as disease resistance, lodging, delayed harvest, weed, pest and pod shatter control, are already available and still

*Elžbieta Jankovska-Bortkevič, Sigita Jurkonienė,* 

under search aiming to reveal the full potential of the cultivars.

family's most widely cultivated members [1–3].

**Keywords:** abiotic stress, *Brassica napus*, canola, environmental factors, oil, pests,

Oilseed rape (*Brassica napus* L.) is among the oldest crops grown in the world. It belongs to the flowering plant family *Brassicaceae*. This family is also called *Cruciferae* or the mustard family. It includes around 3 thousand plant species. The characteristic attribute of plants from this family is the arrangement of four flower petals in the shape of a cross. Historically, many species from the *Brassicaceae* family, e.g., brown and oriental mustard, Brussels sprouts, broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, kale, kohlrabi, napa, oilseed rape, rutabaga, turnip, etc. have been cultivated for their edible parts: buds, flowers, leaves, roots, stems, and seeds. Oilseed rape is currently one of this

Due to the absence of populations of its wild form, the origin of oilseed rape is not fully elucidated. However, the available knowledge suggests that this herbaceous plant

*Virgilija Gavelienė and Petras Prakas*
