Breeding for oil and seed meal quality in rapeseed-mustard in India – A review

Varieties having oil with < 2% erucic acid and glucosinolates < 30 μ moles/g defatted seed meal are termed as “Canola” (00) and fetch premium in the International market. Indian cultivars possess high erucic acid (About 50%) and high glucosinolates (100–280 μ moles/g defatted seed meal). Indian rapeseed-mustard breeding programme was also reoriented to accommodate quality parameters and lay emphasis to develop “Canola” varieties. The present paper reviews the on going quality improvement programme in India and suggests future plan. Initial efforts concentrated on the development of genetic stocks for low erucic acid in the indigenous background using exotic sources. Sustained efforts at PAU Ludhiana, TERI New Delhi, IARI New Delhi, GBPUA & T Pantnagar and NRCRM Bharatpur have led to the development of zero erucic mustard (LEB 15, LES 39 CRL 1359–19, YSRL 9-18-2, TERI (OE) M 9901, TERI (OE) M 9902, PRQ 9701, BPR6-205-10 and BPR 91-6). Several “0”/“00” strains of rapeseed mustard have been registered with NBPGR New Delhi INGR 98001 (0), INGR 98002 (0), INGR 98005 (0), INGR 99007 (00), INGR 99008 (00). Work is in progress and efforts have been underway to improve the agronomic base of low yielding zero erucic lines and to recombine low erucic acid and low glucosinolate to develop ‘00’ varieties.