Breeding and genomics interventions in Ethiopian mustard (Brassica carinata A. Braun) improvement – A mini review

Abstract

Ethiopian mustard (Brassica carinata) is a very important oilseed crop of Ethiopian origin and is presently being cultivated in northeast Africa, some parts of Canada, France, Spain, Australia, China and India. Besides being used as an oilseed crop, it is having a huge potential for the production of biofuels including biodiesel. The presence of many agronomically desirable traits including resistance to various biotic and abiotic stresses make this crop as a potential donor in interspecific hybridization for transfer of these traits into other oilseed Brassicas which are lacking in such attributes. On the other hand, certain undesirable traits like tall plant stature, long maturity duration, poor yield, low oil content, and poor oil and seedmeal quality vis-a-vis the presence of narrow genetic variability need the interventions of modern breeding and biotechnological techniques for improvement of this crop. In this review, an attempt has been made to compile various research efforts made by the plant breeders and biotechnologists to improve the potential of this crop with an aim to make it acclimatized and adapted globally.