Abstract
High erucic acid rapeseed (HEAR) oil is under increasing demand for various industrial applications. However, many growers are concerned that if they grow the crop, they will not be able to revert to other rapeseed varieties in the future due to the risk of erucic acid (EA) contamination of the harvested seed and inability to maintain acceptable erucic acid thresholds. This review considered published literature and, using the same criteria as that used to contain transgenic crops, aimed to identify the key risks of erucic acid contamination, broadly prioritise them and identify pragmatic mitigation options. Oilseed rape has a number of traits that increase the risk of low erucic acid rapeseed (LEAR) crops being contaminated with EA from HEAR varieties. The quantity of seed produced and the potential for seed dormancy coupled with partial autogamy (self-fertilisation) facilitate the establishment and persistence of volunteer and feral populations. The large quantities of pollen produced when the crop is in flower mean there is also a high potential for cross-pollination. Self-sown volunteer plants represent the highest potential contamination risk, followed by the presence of arable weeds (e.g., wild mustard) whose seeds are also high in EA. Other risks arise from the cross-pollination of compatible wild relatives and the mixing of seed prior to sowing. It is important that both HEAR and LEAR varieties are appropriately managed since risks and their potential for mitigation arise throughout the entire LEAR crop production process. The length of rotation, type of tillage, cultivar choice, buffer zones, effective weed management and basic machinery hygiene are all factors that can reduce the risk of erucic acid contamination of LEAR crops and maintain the required thresholds.
Highlights
The global popularity of rapeseed or oilseed rape (Brassica napus var. oleifera) has grown steadily since World War II, with a significant upward trend seen over the last 30 years
It is important that both High erucic acid rapeseed (HEAR) and low erucic acid rapeseed (LEAR) varieties are appropriately managed since risks and their potential for mitigation arise throughout the entire LEAR crop production process
The length of rotation, type of tillage, cultivar choice, buffer zones, effective weed management and basic machinery hygiene are all factors that can reduce the risk of erucic acid contamination of LEAR crops and maintain the required thresholds
Summary
The global popularity of rapeseed or oilseed rape (Brassica napus var. oleifera) has grown steadily since World War II, with a significant upward trend seen over the last 30 years. Oleifera) has grown steadily since World War II, with a significant upward trend seen over the last 30 years. The global popularity of rapeseed or oilseed rape This has been due to a number of factors, including improved breeding, the introduction of price incentives under the EU’s. Common Agricultural Policy, greater consumer interest in vegetable oils rather than hard fats, and rapeseed oil being granted Substances Generally Recognized as Safe (GRAS) status in the USA. The annual global seed harvest was around 70 million metric tons in. 2015/2016, of which 22 million metric tons (31.4%) originated from the EU [3,4]. Using EA content as the classifier, there are three broad categories of Agriculture 2019, 9, 190; doi:10.3390/agriculture9090190 www.mdpi.com/journal/agriculture
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