Breeding Oilseed Crops for Sustainable Production: Opportunities and Constraints presents key insights into accelerating the breeding of sustainable and superior varieties. The book explores the genetic engineering/biotechnology that has played a vital role in transforming economically important traits from distant/wild species to cultivated varieties, enhancing the quality and quantity of oil and seed yield production. Integrated nutrient management, efficient water management, and forecasting models for pests diseases outbreaks and integrated pest and pest management have also added new dimensions in breeding for sustainable production. With the rise in demand, the scientific community has responded positively by directing a greater amount of research towards sustainable production both for edible and industrial uses. Covering the latest information on various major world oil crops including rapeseed mustard, sunflower, groundnut, sesame, oilpalm, cotton, linseed/flax, castor and olive, this book brings the latest advances together in a single volume for researchers and advanced level students. - Describes various methods and systems to achieve sustainable production in all major oilseed crops - Addresses breeding, biology and utilization aspects simultaneously including those species whose information is not available elsewhere - Includes information on modern biotechnological and molecular techniques and production technologies - Relevant for international government, industrial and academic programs in research and development

Industrial Oil Crops presents the latest information on important products derived from seed and other plant oils, their quality, the potential environmental benefit, and the latest trends in industrial uses. This book provides a comprehensive view of key oil crops that provide products used for fuel, surfactants, paints and coatings, lubricants, high-value polymers, safe plasticizers and numerous other products, all of which compete effectively with petroleum-derived products for quality and cost. Specific products derived from oil crops are a principle concern, and other fundamental aspects of developing oil crops for industrial uses are also covered. These include improvement through traditional breeding, and molecular, tissue culture and genetic engineering contributions to breeding, as well as practical aspects of what is needed to bring a new or altered crop to market. As such, this book provides a handbook for developing products from renewable resources that can replace those currently derived from petroleum. Led by an international team of expert editors, this book will be a valuable asset for those in product research and development as well as basic plant research related to oil crops. - Up-to-date review of all the key oilseed crops used primarily for industrial purposes - Highlights the potential for providing renewable resources to replace petroleum derived products - Comprehensive chapters on biodiesel and polymer chemistry of seed oil - Includes chapters on economics of new oilseed crops, emerging oilseed crops, genetic modification and plant tissue culture technology for oilseed improvement

The present status of rapeseed-mustard crops as the third most important source of edible oils is attributable to the success of plant breeders and associate researchers in developing high yielding varieties with improved quality and resistance to biotic and abiotic stresses. However, the need to maximize the production gains and quality at lower economic costis greater than ever before. "Breeding Oilseed Brassicas" was thus conceived to review the past accomplishments in order to identify research gaps and suggest ways and means to meet the challenge of sustainable productivity upgradation. Theoretical and applied aspects ofbreeding, genetics, cytogenetics, crop physiology, and biotechnology are covered. The emphasis is on the application of theoretical knowledge to the solution of problems that confront the Brassica breeders.

Plant improvement has shifted its focus from yield, quality and disease resistance to factors that will enhance commercial export, such as early maturity, shelf life and better processing quality. Conventional plant breeding methods aiming at the improvement of a self-pollinating crop usually take 10-12 years to develop and release of the new variety. During the past 10 years, significant advances have been made and accelerated methods have been developed for precision breeding and early release of crop varieties. This book focuses on the accelerated breeding technologies that have been adopted for major oil crops. It summarizes concepts dealing with germplasm enhancement and development of improved varieties based on innovative methodologies that include doubled haploidy, marker assisted selection, marker assisted background selection, genetic mapping, genomic selection, high-throughput genotyping, high-throughput phenotyping, mutation breeding, reverse breeding, transgenic breeding, shuttle breeding, speed breeding, low cost high-throughput field phenotyping, etc. This edited volume is therefore an excellent reference on accelerated development of improved crop varieties.

Oilseed crops are a heterogeneous group of plants without common morphological and genetic features except production of seed oil. Nevertheless, the importance of the seed oil or vegetable fat, has resulted in increased scientific interest in improving the yield and quality of the produce. The Oilseeds sector has been one of the most dynamic components of world agriculture; in the past three decades growing at 4.1% per annum surpassing the growth of agriculture and livestock products. The individual crops forming the conglomerate of Oilseed crops have to be treated differently as well as together for their improvement and production, since they form unique group in terms of research and development, necessitating the development of strategies for their judicious exploitation for a sound farm economy. This book "Oilseed Crops" aims to provide detailed information on the oilseed crops and at the same time elucidating the intricacies faced in improvement and management. Spread over thirteen Chapters, the book covers the oilseed crops, namely, Groundnut, Rapeseed-mustard, Soybean, Sesame, Sunflower, Safflower, Niger, Linseed, Castor and Oil-bearing Trees. Each Chapter includes information on the 'Background of the Plant, ' 'Ecology, ' 'Cytogenetics, ' 'Genetic Resources and Breeding, ' 'Biotechnology, ' 'Important Characteristics, ' 'Diseases and Pests of the Crop, ' 'Production' and 'Products' from the crop. 'Designer Oilseed Crops' is a new concept for the development of novel products of vegetable fats using biotechnology, gene editing and genetic transformation. The book will be useful to researchers, students, agricultural extensionists and all those taking up study of Oilseed Crops.