Research Station, Canada Department of Agriculture, University Campus, Saskatoon, Canada
*Present address: Division of Genetics, Indian Agriculture Research Institute, New Delhi - 110 012
Online published on 25 January, 2012.
Seeds from 20 different cultivars of Indian oleiferous Brassicae (five representing each of the four commercially grown Brassicae viz., yellow sarson, brown sarson and toria of the species campestris and brown mustard of the species juncea) were analysed for their percent oil content and the fatty acid composition of the seed oil. Significant variation in the content and fatty acid composition occured in the seed oils of the four different groups of Brassicae. The overall variation was highest for erucic acid ranging from 43–98 to 57–71% of the total fatty acid content. In the light of the above results and of the availability of suitable techniques the problems and prospects of breeding for high and improved nutritional quality of the oil of Brassicae in India have been discussed.
