ABSTRACT
Crop improvement programmes began with traditional breeding practices since the inception of agriculture. Farmers and plant breeders continue to use these strategies for crop improvement due to their broad application in modifying crop genetic compositions. Nonetheless, conventional breeding has significant downsides in regard to effort and time. Crop productivity seems to be hitting a plateau as a consequence of environmental issues and the scarcity of agricultural land. Therefore, continuous pursuit of advancement in crop improvement is essential. Recent technical innovations have resulted in a revolutionary shift in the pattern of breeding methods, leaning further towards molecular approaches. Among the promising approaches, marker-assisted selection, QTL mapping, omics-assisted breeding, genome-wide association studies and genome editing have lately gained prominence. Several governments have progressively relaxed their restrictions relating to genome editing. The present review highlights the evolutionary and revolutionary approaches that have been utilized for crop improvement in a bid to produce climate-resilient crops observing the consequence of climate change. Additionally, it will contribute to the comprehension of plant breeding succession so far. Investing in advanced sequencing technologies and bioinformatics will deepen our understanding of genetic variations and their functional implications, contributing to breakthroughs in crop improvement and biodiversity conservation.
ABSTRACT
White mustard (Sinapis alba L.) seed oil is used for cooking, food preservation, body and hair revitalization, biodiesel production, and as a diesel fuel additive and alternative biofuel. This review focuses on biodiesel production from white mustard seed oil as a feedstock. The review starts by outlining the botany and cultivation of white mustard plants, seed harvest, drying and storage, and seed oil composition and properties. This is followed by white mustard seed pretreatments (shelling, preheating, and grinding) and processing techniques for oil recovery (pressing, solvent extraction, and steam distillation) from whole seeds, ground seed or kernels, and press cake. Novel technologies, such as aqueous, enzyme-assisted aqueous, supercritical CO2, and ultrasound-assisted solvent extraction, are also discussed. The main part of the review considers biodiesel production from white mustard seed oil, including fuel properties and performance. The economic, environmental, social, and human health risk/toxicological impacts of white mustard-based biodiesel production and use are also discussed.
