Summary
This narrative review synthesises current understanding of oilseed crop physiology and breeding strategy in the context of climate change. It examines how temperature and water stress influence oil synthesis and composition in major oilseed crops (soybean, sunflower, canola, peanut, cottonseed), and considers the genetic and environmental factors that determine both yield and quality stability. The authors argue that genomic and bioinformatic tools offer breeders a new frontier to maintain consistent fatty acid profiles despite increasingly extreme growing conditions.
Regional applicability
The review is global in scope and addresses universal climate challenges to oilseed production. United Kingdom growers and breeders may find the breeding frameworks and genomic approaches transferable, though UK cultivation of major oilseeds is limited primarily to oilseed rape (canola); application to UK temperate conditions and marginal land would require local validation.
Key measures
Oil yield, fatty acid composition, seed oil production physiology, genetic variation, phenotypic variability, genotype-by-environment interactions
Outcomes reported
The review explores how temperature and water availability affect oil synthesis physiology and fatty acid composition in oilseed crops, and examines the role of genetic variation and genotype-by-environment interactions in determining oil quality under climate stress. It discusses the use of genomics and bioinformatics to predict and stabilise desired fatty acid composition across variable agricultural environments.
Topic tags
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