Indian mustard (Brassica juncea (L.) Czern. & Coss.) contributes significantly to the edible oil production and an important oilseed crop for rural livelihoods in the semi-arid region and grown extensively in regions like India, China and South Asia. However, its productivity is severely constrained by repeated drought stress, particularly in arid and semi-arid areas. Drought stress adversely affects Indian mustard at morphological, physiological, biochemical and molecular levels, disrupting water relations, photosynthesis, nutrient uptake and metabolic activities. In response, the crop develops adaptive strategies including deep rooting, solute accumulation, antioxidant enzyme regulation, hormonal modulation and gene level metabolic adjustments. Understanding these drought-tolerance mechanisms is essential. Drought management strategies can partially mitigate yield losses, improving crop efficiency by 20–40 % under moderate stress conditions, although residual yield losses of 10–30 % may still occur depending on stress severity and genotype. Modern molecular breeding methods can be complemented with high throughput screening technologies to improve drought tolerance and mitigate repercussions. This review aims to provide a comprehensive understanding of drought stress responses and adaptive strategies in Indian mustard to support the development of resilient cultivars under changing climate scenarios.
C. Khushboo, S. Mayukh, K. Vipul et al.· Plant Science Today· 0 citations
India relies on imports to meet nearly 70 % of its edible oil demand, underscoring an urgent need to improve domestic oilseed productivity. Rapeseed-mustard (Brassica juncea (L.) Czern. & Cosson), the second-largest oilseed crop in India, has experienced a yield plateau due to the exhaustion of genetic variability in conventionally bred varieties. Heterosis breeding through hybrid development offers the most promising strategy to break this stagnation, yet commercialisation remains critically dependent on efficient pollination control systems, primarily cytoplasmic male sterility (CMS). A key challenge is the “biological penalty” imposed during CMS background conversion, wherein the combining ability and heterotic potential of superior genotypes may not remain intact, necessitating rigorous re-evaluation of converted lines. Public-sector brassica hybrids have largely failed to exceed the commercial heterosis threshold of 25–35 %. This review examines the fundamental requirements for hybrid development, the historical progression of breeding systems and the current status of major CMS systems (Ogura, Moricandia, Tournefortii and others) deployed in India, along with the challenges hindering adoption. The regulatory approval of the genetically engineered hybrid DMH-11-utilising the Barnase-Barstar system marks a significant milestone, offering stable and precise pollination control independent of alien cytoplasm constraints with a demonstrated 28–37 % yield advantage. Future strategies must focus on broadening the genetic base through alien introgression, developing defined heterotic pools and integrating genomic selection, gene editing and marker-assisted selection (MAS) with conventional breeding to achieve self-sufficiency in edible oil production.
K. Chandan, C. Khushboo, Shashikant et al.· Plant Science Today· 0 citations
