ABSTRACT
References ..................................................................................................................................... 181
Brassica crops belonging to the mustard family (Brassicaceae) are economically important crops grown worldwide to produce vegetables, oilseeds, mustard condiments, and fodder, which are used in the form of leaves, roots, stems, buds, inorescences, and seeds (Beilstein et al. 2006). Of the many species belonging to the Brassicaceae, six species, including three diploids (Brassica rapa, AA, n = 10; B. oleracea, CC, n = 9; and B. nigra, BB, n = 8) and three amphidiploids (B. juncea, AABB, n = 18; B. napus, AACC, n = 19; and B. carinata, BBCC, n = 17) derived by natural hybridization of the diploids cultivated commercially, are becoming an integral part of global agriculture and horticulture (U 1935; Prakash and Hinata 1980; Prakash and Chopra 1990). Leafy B. rapa (Chinese cabbage and pakchoi) and B. oleracea (cabbage, cauliower, broccoli, turnip, and rutabaga) are cultivated as vegetables (FAOSTAT 2009). For extraction of oil, B. napus, B. rapa oil type, and B. juncea are extensively cultivated in India, China, Europe, the USA, Russia, and Canada.
