New breeding efforts for climate smart oil crops

Abstract

The total production of oil crops has strongly increased over the past 30 years due to a steadily growing demand in food, feed and non-food uses (e.g. biofuel) of vegetable oils and their by-products. To cope with the impact of climate change, current breeding efforts worldwide are focused on sustainable production and higher oil yield per unit area of land with a view to increase tolerance to biotic and abiotic stress. The Institute of Field and Vegetable Crops (IFVCNS), from Novi Sad, Serbia has long tradition in breeding and production of major oil crops, such as sunflower and rapeseed. In the light of climate changes sunflower is one of the higher adaptation crops due to deep roots prevent erosion and allow drought and other unsuitable conditions to be survived. Therefore, breeding for biotic and abiotic stress tolerance proved to be the most economic and environmental friendly method. Breeding strategies at IFVCNS related to rapeseed are based upon the basic research of seed yield components and seed yield and quality. However, there is a need to develop new varieties which are more efficient in exploiting water, energy, and fertilizer to improve and increase its adaption capability under different environmental conditions and get improved and sustainable yields. Beside sunflower and rapeseed numerous other plant species are also regarded as a possible oil source and various adaptability potentials, such as castor oil plant, safflower, flax, mustard, false flax, sesame, caper spurge, mary thistle and oil pumpkin.