Oilseed brassicas are among the largest traded agricultural commodities and are grown in around fifty countries worldwide. Utilised for both consumption and bioenergy use, demand is increasing and this book covers the entire gamut of oilseed brassicas. Beginning with an introduction and then organised into two sections, it reviews genetics and genomics (including breeding, heterosis and selection methods) and stress management and important pathogens, to provide a complete overview of brassica oilseeds.

Rapeseed is an important oilseed crop belonging to Crucifereae family and grown in subtropical to temperate climate. Recent discoveries have caused the scientific community to respond positively by directing a greater amount of research towards increasing production and improving the quality of rapeseed oil. Today, the annual worldwide production is approximately 7.5 million tons on 4 million acres. Canola ranks 5th in the production of world's oilseed crops following soybean, sunflower, groundnut and cottonseed. Rapeseed Breeding fully explains the miraculous discoveries about the genetic material which have contributed to the growth of this important crop. With contributions from world-renowned researchers from North America, Europe, Asia, and Australia, this book provides the first scientific reference for scientists interested in the further exploitation of this important crop.* Presents history, origin and evolution, breeding methods, practical applications of DNA markers, fingerprinting of cultivars, and conservation of rapeseed germplasm* Includes detail of different breeding purposes including breeding for improved oil and meal quality, breeding for winter hardiness, breeding for herbicides, and breeding for hybrid rape.* Provides analysis of ecology, usage, degeneration and application

Oilseeds, Chemical analysis and testing, Extraction methods of analysis, Vegetable oils, Fatty acids, Methyl compounds, Esters (carboxylic), Specimen preparation, Gas chromatography