Oilseed Rape: Biology, Use, Current Cultivation Issues and Agronomic Management

Abstract

Oilseed rape is an economically crucial agricultural crop widely grown in many countries. It is an herbaceous plant which belongs to the Brassicaceae family and, according to the nature of vegetation, is present in spring and winter subspecies. Over the years, the area of oilseed rape increased due to its widespread use for producing technical and food oil, fuel and other market needs. Oilseed rape oil is one of the most widely used food oils on the globe. It is valued for its high content of unsaturated fatty acids and odorlessness. The yield of oilseed rape mainly depends on its genetic potential, agronomic management, and environmental conditions. Thus, oilseed rape growers worldwide meet not only common, but also climate zone-specific agronomic issues, e.g., various unfavourable abiotic and biotic factors characteristic to a particular climate zone. Thanks to the efforts of breeders, scientists, and chemical companies, the solutions to the big problems such as disease resistance, lodging, delayed harvest, weed, pest and pod shatter control, are already available and still under search aiming to reveal the full potential of the cultivars.