Oilseeds are vital to global agriculture, providing essential edible oils, high-protein livestock feed and raw materials for bio-based industries. Climate change poses a threat to the productivity, quality and sustainability of oilseed crops. This review critically examines the impacts of major climate stressors, including rising temperatures, altered precipitation patterns, elevated atmospheric CO₂ levels, increased ozone and the heightened frequency of extreme weather events on the growth, yield and oil quality of key oilseed crops such as soybean, groundnut, rapeseed-mustard, sunflower, safflower and sesame. It explores the physiological and biochemical mechanisms underlying crop responses to climate-induced stress, focusing on reductions in oil content and shifts in fatty acid composition. Climate-related stressors can lead to yield declines ranging from 10 % to 40 %, with heat stress during flowering and seed filling causing up to a 70 % reduction in seed set in sensitive varieties. The review also evaluates adaptive strategies, including the development of climate-resilient cultivars through advanced breeding and biotechnology, the implementation of conservation agriculture and integrated nutrient management and the role of digital tools in monitoring and mitigating stress impacts. Emphasizing the urgent need for integrated research, policy support and sustainable farming practices, this review aims to guide future efforts in enhancing the resilience of oilseed crops.
Nandhini et al. (Thu,) studied this question.