Brassica spp., commonly known as rapeseed-mustard, plays a significant role in the Indian economy by providing edible oils, vegetables, condiments and animal feed. Globally, India holds second and third position in rapeseed-mustard area under cultivation and production, respectively. However, anthropogenically accelerated climate change thwarts yield potential of rapeseed-mustard by employing abiotic (drought, flood, temperature variation and salinity) and biotic (disease and insects) stresses. Various approaches such as molecular breeding, pre-breeding, −omics and biotechnological interventions have been used to develop varieties for improved yield and oil quality, climate resilient and resistance or tolerance to abiotic and biotic stresses. In this context, this chapter highlighted the different cytoplasmic male sterility (CMS) sources and their potential use for hybrid development. At the end, this chapter also enlisted salient achievement by the government and non-government institutes and briefly described the future perspective for improvement of rapeseed-mustard in India.

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Eri silkworm (Samia ricini) is a polyphagous, multivoltine silkworm and around 5-6 crops can be raised per year depending on the availability of the host plants. Poor availability of host plants is a limiting factor in enhancing eri silk production and its spread in non-traditional areas. Castor is the most preferred food plant of the eri silkworm. However, the annual nature of the crop, its availability on a large scale, and leaf availability throughout the year are a big challenge. Therefore, the alternate perennial nature host plants were analyzed for their potential under various research programmes at CMER&TI. Kesseru (Heteropanax fragrans) and borpat (Ailanthus grandis) plants have been identified as potential substitutes for major host plant (castor) based on their nutritional quality and bioassay performance. Germplasm of these identified perennial host plants was collected from North-East region and is conserved in the Germplasm Conservation Centre (GCC) of CMERTI. Subsequently, a cultivation package of practice has been developed for Kesseru. However, borpat despite being the most preferred food plant after castor has been ignored due to its complex nature of propagation. The present manuscript gives an insight on the propagation of borpat through seed, scope for clonal propagation, limitations, and future strategies for its improvement.

Eri silk is the second highest contributor to the raw silk production of India. Presently the ericulture is mainly restricted to traditional states in North East region with minor production coming from non-traditional states.Ericulture has the scope and potential to spread in non-traditional states due to the availability of eri host plants. Major host plant of eri silkworm (Samia ricini) castor (Ricinus communis) is chiefly used as oil seed crop in the nontraditional states and grows in abundance as a weed in the waste lands, river catchment areas and road sides. Establishing block plantations of castor in non-traditional states will have the competition with the cash crops growing in these regions which will prove a bottle neck for spread of ericulture in these areas. Uttar Pradesh is one of these non-traditional states where castor grows in abundance on contaminated waste lands but the ericulture is presently restricted to castor seed farmers only. Phytoremediation potential of castor is well documented in literature. Therefore, the present study was under taken to ascertain the phytoremediation of heavy metals through castor and its suitability for ericulture. The soil analysis of the river catchment area has indicated that the concentration of heavy metals is higher than pond catchment area. Analysis of castor leaf growing on heavy metals contaminated catchment has shown the normal growth. The suitability of castor leaf growing on contaminated catchment towards ericulture was analyzed through bioassay studies and no significant impact on eri silkworm rearing was observed under the pilot study. However, the detail study is needed to understand the metals specific antagonistic effects as well as to identify the tolerance limit, phytoremediation potential under the specific contamination level.