Importance

• Oilseed cake have high protein content and therefore used as livestock ration and also as manure.
• Young seedlings and leaves also used as green vegetables
• Green stem and leaves also as green fodder and green manure
• Shoots rich in sulfur and minerals

Uses of oil

• Cooking and flavoring medium
• In manufacture of hair oil, medicine, soaps etc
• In tanning industry to soften leather
• High content of erucic acid favors use in lubricating oils, hydraulic fuels etc
• In ayurvedic medicated oils for massage in paralytic diseases

Origin and Distribution

• Brassica campestris originated in eastern Afghanistan and adjoining parts of Pakistan and India
• Brassica juncea originated in China
• Widely grown in Canada, Europe, Russia, China, Japan, India, Nepal and Australia.