Canola :: Botany

Canola Canola, the term that is used to distinguish edible rapeseed oil, is the major oil crop in Canada, Western Europe and Asia. It is now drawing a major interest in the United States because of the movement towards a healthy lifestyle. In 1985 the U.S. Drug Administration labeled rapeseed off as "Generally Regarded as Safe" and since then United States imports of rapeseed off have risen to over 300 million pounds per year. In 1988 when the FDA approved the name "Canola" alone in product labeling, the final barrier was removed for widespread acceptance of this oil (2). The great interest in canola oil stems from its great nutritional qualities and its competitive cost compared to other vegetable oils. The interest in canola is not recent. As early as 2000 b.c. rapeseed was noted in ancient writings. This paper is going to cover the historical, economic, agricultural and taxonomic perspectives on this subject. References to oilseed rape, called sarson. were found in ancient Sanskrit writings as early as 2000 b.c. (1). The variety Brassica campestris is thought to be the oldest variety of rapes and mustards grown in India. In China the use of rapeseed cultivation is cloudy. However, old Japanese literature indicates the rapeseed was introduced about 2000 years ago directly from china (1). In Europe, populations of rape are reported in several different areas depending on the species. Turnip rape or Brassica campestris was more prevalent than Brassica napus, which was found in more restricted areas. The domestication of these two species occurred when the "weeds" in other fields were collected accidentally which happened to be rapeseed and value was found for these oily seeds. It is thought that rapeseed was cultivated in Europe to use for oil in places where the olive tree and poppy were unknown. Thus, it was never used by the Romans (5). Seeds from these two Brassicas have been found in very old German settlements in close proximity to millstones. The cultivation of rape in Europe supposedly occurred in about the thirteenth century. The oil was widely used in the latter part of the middle ages as lamp oil where it was later replaced by petroleum oils. Seeds were also used for illumination and soap making. Reports are conflicting but some reports say field cropping occurred as early as the 17th century. In Belgium the occurrence of rape started as an annoying weed until its oil began to be used.