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This article presents some of the latest research endeavors that aim to improve our understanding of how the various grain components can be manipulated to improve contributions of cereals to human health. The health benefits of wholegrain cereal products are now widely recognized and considered due to the presence of a wide range of bio-active components. Cereals in their natural form (as whole grain) are rich source of vitamins, minerals, carbohydrates, fats, oils, and protein. Also, such cereals are chosen for consumption and they have the higher fiber which is an important nutrient that helps to prevent weight gain and heart disease. For best results, fruits, vegetables and whole grains may be eaten every day to provide extra nutrition and fiber. The meal can be made healthier by eating high-fiber whole-grain cereals that has low sugar. However, eating a variety of cereals rather than just feeding on one item is more helpful to health.

Biofumigation refers to the suppression of soil-borne pathogens and pests by biocidal compounds released by Brassica crops when glucosinolates (GSL) in their residues decay in soil. We conducted field studies at 2 sites to investigate the hypothesis that biofumigation by Brassica break crops would reduce inoculum of the take-all fungus Gaeumannomyces graminis var. tritici (Ggt) to lower levels than non-Brassica break crops, and thereby reduce Ggt infection and associated yield loss in subsequent wheat crops. High and uniform levels of Ggt were established at the sites in the first year of the experiments by sowing wheat with sterilised ryegrass seed infested with Ggt. Ggt inoculum declined more rapidly under Brassica crops than under linola and this reduction coincided with the period of root decay and reduced root glucosinolate concentrations around crop maturity. There was no consistent difference in inoculum reduction between canola (Brassica napus) and Indian mustard (Brassica juncea), nor between cultivars with high and low root GSL within each species. Despite significant inoculum reduction attributable to biofumigation, there were no differences in the expression of disease and associated impacts on the yield of subsequent wheat crops across the sites. Seasonal conditions, in particular the distribution of rainfall in both the summer–autumn fallow following the break crops and during the subsequent wheat crop, influenced inoculum survival and subsequent disease development. In wet summers, inoculum declined to low levels following all break crops and no extra benefit from biofumigation was evident. In dry summers the lower inoculum levels following brassicas persisted until the following wheat crops were sown but subsequent development of the disease was influenced more by seasonal conditions than by initial inoculum levels. Significant extra benefits of biofumigation were observed in one experiment where wheat was sown within the break crops to simulate grass weed hosts of Ggt. Under these circumstances there was greater reduction in Ggt inoculum under canola than linseed and an associated decrease in disease development. For host-dependent pathogens such as Ggt, we hypothesise that the benefits of biofumigation to subsequent wheat crops will therefore be restricted to specific circumstances in which inoculum is preserved during and after the break crops (i.e. dry conditions, grass hosts present) and where conditions in the following wheat crop lead to significant disease development (early sowing, wet autumn and spring, dry periods during grain filling).

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This article focuses and reviews on the main types of oilseeds, their role in human health and diseases, and highlights of new developments that may provide even more benefits in the future. Oilseed crops are grown primarily for the oil contained in their seeds. They have been cultivated throughout much of the world for at least four thousand years ago, at that time their primary use was as a lamp oil, but, later on the oils have been used in soaps and for other purposes. Oilseeds are rich in protein, and in addition they contain a high level of fat. Hence, they are not only good sources of protein, but, also concentrated source of energy. The proteins in oilseeds can be fed either as part of the oil-intact seed, or as a meal from which the oil has been removed. Oilseeds and their derivatives vegetable oil and meal are in demand globally, and there is a need to identify and quantify the key issues for their production for different stakeholders to develop and support actions that will ensure a viable future of such crops.

The glucosinolate (GSL) profiles in root, shoot, and seed tissues of 22 Australian canola (Brassica napus) and 15 Indian mustard (Brassica juncea) entries were measured in the field. The Indian mustard lines included 12 low seed GSL lines from a breeding program aimed at producing canola-quality B. juncea cultivars and 3 high seed GSL condiment cultivars. The aromatic glucosinolate, 2-phenylethyl GSL, was the major GSL found in the roots of both species although Indian mustard also contained 2-propenyl GSL in the roots. The concentration of glucosinolates in the roots varied from 5 to 35 µmol/g in B. napus, from 2.5 to 25 µmol/g in low seed GSL B. juncea, and from 10 to 21 µmol/g in high seed GSL B. juncea, but was not correlated with seed glucosinolate concentrations in either species. Breeding for low seed GSLs in Indian mustard reduced the concentration of 2-propenyl GSL in both root and shoot tissues, but levels of 2-phenylethyl GSL in the roots were unaffected. The results indicate that high yielding and agronomically adapted varieties of both species could be developed with higher levels of root GSL for enhanced biofumigation potential without compromising seed quality. The GSLs which liberate isothiocyanates on hydrolysis were found primarily in the taproot and larger lateral roots (>2 mm) of both species, whereas younger fine roots (<2 mm diameter) had higher levels of indolyl GSLs. Correlations between root GSLs and susceptibility of brassicas to root pests and pathogens will need to take account of these differences in GSL profiles among different root classes.