OILSEEDS ECONOMIC IMPORTANCE OF OILSEEDS MAJOR OILSEEDS GROWN IN INDIA GEOGRAPHICAL REQUIREMENTS OF THE MAJOR OILSEEDS AREAS OF PRODUCTION METHOD OF CULTIVATION

INTRODUCTION TO OILSEEDS  VERY IMPORTANT COMMERCIAL CROPS IN INDIA.  INDIA IS THE LEADING OILSEEDS PRODUCER IN THE WORLD.  PRODUCTION HOWEVER IS FALLING SHORT LEADING TO IMPORTING OILSEEDS.

ECONOMIC IMPORTANCE OF OILSEEDS  THE OIL EXTRACTED FROM OILSEEDS FORMS AN IMPORTANT ITEM OF OUR DIET.  EXTRACTED OIL IS USED AS RAW MATERIAL FOR MANUFACTURING PAINTS, VARNISHES, SOAPS, PERFUMES, LUBRICANTS, etc.  OIL CAKE IS A BY-PRODUCT OBTAINED AFTER THE EXTRACTION OF OIL FROM OILSEEDS AND IS AN EXCELLENT CATTLE FEED.  OIL CAKES ARE ALSO USED AS FERTILIZERS.

MAJOR OILSEEDS GROWN IN INDIA  GROUNDNUT  SESAMUM  RAPESEED  MUSTARD  LINSEED  CASTOR

GROUNDNUT  INDIA IS THE LARGEST PRODUCER OF GROUNDNUT IN THE WORLD.  IT IS A TROPICAL CROP HENCE GROWS WELL OVER THE PENINSULAR PLATEAU.  GROUNDNUT ALSO KNOWN AS PEANUT OR MONKEYNUT.  GROUNDNUT KERNELS ARE RICH IN PROTIENS AND VITAMINS.  USED FOR MANUFACTURE OF EDIBLE OIL.  USED IN MANUFACTURE OF SOAP, CANDLES, ARTIFICIAL LEATHER.  USED AS AN IMPORTANT ROTATION CROP AS IT HELPS IN INCREASING SOIL FERTILITY.

GEOGRAPHICAL REQUIREMENTS OF GROUNDNUT  TEMPERATURE : BETWEEN 22 TO 28 DEGREE CELSIUS.  RAINFALL : IS A DROUGHT RESISTANT CROP HENCE CAN GROW IN AREAS WITH LESS RAINFALL WELL DISTRIBUTED DURING THE FLOWERING STAGE.  SOIL : LIGHT SANDY SOIL, RED SOIL, BLACK SOIL.  IS A LEGUMINOUS VARIETY CULTIVATED AS BOTH KHARIF AND RABI CROP

METHODS OF CULTIVATION  SOWING :  SOWN USUALLY BETWEEN JUNE AND JULY. WHEN THE FLOWERS APPEAR,THE STALKS BEND DOWNWARDS AND FORCE THE SEEDPODS INTO THE GROUND WHERE THEY MATURE.  HARVESTING :  BETWEEN OCTOBER AND DECEMBER.  WARM DRY SEASON ESSENTIAL FOR RIPENING.  PODS ARE STRIPPED FROM THE VINES AND DRIED IN THE SUN.

AREAS OF PRODUCTION  GUJRAT –LEADING PRODUCER  TAMIL NADU  ANDHRA PRADESH  KARNATAKA

MUSTARD OR RAI AND RAPESEED OR SARSON  ARE RABI CROPS GROWN IN ROTATION WITH WHEAT.  GEOGRAPHICAL REQUIREMENTS –  SAME AS FOR WHEAT CROP.  ARE PLANTED WITH WHEAT AND HARVESTED A LITTLE BEFORE WHEAT WHEN THE CROP TURNS YELLOW.  TEMPERATURE = ARE WINTER CROPS AND GROW WELL IN TEMPERATURE RANGING BETWEEN 10 TO 20 DEGREE CELSIUS.  RAINFALL = BETWEEN 50 TO 100 cm IS ADEQUATE.  SOIL = GROW WELL IN ALLUVIAL SOIL.

IMPORTANCE OF MUSTARD  USED AS COOKING MEDIUM IN NORTH INDIA.  USED IN FLAVOURING PICKLES.  TENDER LEAVES USED AS GREEN VEGETABLE/ SAAG  OIL CAKE IS USED AS CATTLE FEED.

AREAS OF MUSTARD PRODUCTION RAJASTHAN HARYANA UTTAR PRADESH PUNJAB ASSAM WEST BENGAL BIHAR ORISSA MAHARASHTRA

SESAMUM  GROWN IN ROTATION WITH OTHER CROPS LIKE JOWAR OR RAGI  ALSO KNOWN AS TIL OR GINGELLY.  USED AS COOKING OIL.  USED FOR MEDICINAL PURPOSES.  IS EATEN RAW,ROASTED OR MIXED WITH JAGGERY / GUR OR SUGAR AS THESE ARE RICH SOURCES OF PROTIEN, CARBOHYDRATE AND MINERALS.

GEOGRAPHICAL REQUIREMENTS OF SESAMUM / SESAME  GROWN AS BOTH KHARIF AND RABI CROP.  TEMPERATURE = 21 TO 23 DEGREE CELSIUS  RAINFALL = 40 TO 50 cm SUFFICIENT/ CANNOT WITHSTAND DROUGHT OR HEAVY RAIN.  SOIL = WELL DRAINED LOAMY AND BLACK COTTON SOIL.

METHOD OF CULTIVATION - SESAMUM  PLANTS GROW TO A HEIGHT OF 0.5 TO 1.5 METRES.  ARE READY FOR HARVEST WHEN THEY TURN YELLOW IN ABOUT 3 TO 4 MONTHS.  AREAS OF PRODUCTION =  RAJASTHAN, GUJRAT, ANDHRA PRADESH

LINSEED  OBTAINED FROM A FIBRE PLANT KNOWN AS FLAX.  FLAX WAS GROWN WIDELY IN THE COOL TEMPERATE REGIONS OF EUROPE AND WAS TRADITIONALLY USED FOR CLOTHING AND HOUSEHOLD LINEN.  LINSEED OIL IS UNSUITABLE FOR HUMAN CONSUMPTION.  USES OF LINSEED = HAS A UNIQUE DRYING PROPERTY AND IS USED FOR PAINTS, VARNISHES, PRINTING INK, LINOLEUM, WATER PROOF FABRICS. LINSEED OILCAKES ARE USED AS CATTLE FEED.

GEOGRAPHICAL REQUIREMENTS OF LINSEED  IS GROWN AS A RABI CROP.  TEMPERATURE = NEEDS COOL, MOIST CLIMATE WITH TEMPERATURE BETWEEN 10 TO 20 DEGREE CELSIUS.  RAINFALL = 50 TO 75 cm  SOIL = BEST GROWN ON CLAYEY LOAMY SOIL AND BLACK COTTON SOIL OF THE PENINSULAR PLATEAU AND ALLUVIAL SOIL OF NORTHERN PLAINS OF INDIA.  AREAS OF PRODUCTION =  MADHYA PRADESH, UTTAR PRADESH, MAHARASHTRA.

Castor seed  India is the second largest producer of castor seed.  THE PLANT AND ITS SEED ARE NOT FIT FOR HUMAN CONSUMPTION.  THE OIL IS USED IN PAINTS, VARNISHES, PRINTING INKS, LINOLEUM, TRANSPARENT PAPER, SOAPS, PLASTICS.  CASTOR OIL IS USED AS AN EXCELLENT LUBRICANT FOR HIGH SPEED ENGINES AND AIRPLANES.

GEOGRAPHICAL REQUIREMENTS OF CASTOR SEED  IS A TROPICAL PLANT AND GROWS AS KHARIF AS WELL AS RABI CROP.  TEMPERATURE = BETWEEN 20 TO 23 DEGREE CELSIUS. FROST IS HARMFUL.  RAINFALL = TOLERANT TO DROUGHT / 50 TO 75 cm OF RAINFALL IS ADEQUATE.  SOIL = GROWS BEST IN DEEP LOAMY SOIL AND LIGHT ALLUVIAL SOIL.  AREAS OF PRODUCTION =  ANDHRA PRADESH, GUJRAT, RAJASTHAN, ORISSA.

COTTON SEEDS  IS PRODUCED WHERE COTTON IS CULTIVATED AS IT IS A BY-PRODUCT OBTAINED AFTER GINNING OF COTTON.  GINNING SEPARATES THE FIBRE FROM THE SEED AND THESE SEEDS ARE COMPRESSED TO EXTRACT OIL.  COTTON SEED OIL IS USED IN MANUFACTURE OF HYDROGENATED OIL.  COTTON SEEDS OILCAKES ARE USED AS CATTLE FEED.  IS USED FOR PHARMACEUTICAL PURPOSES.  IS AN IMPORTANT SOURCE OF EDIBLE OIL USED LARGELY IN THE VANASPATI INDUSTRY.

RUBBER  NATURAL RUBBER OBTAINED FROM THE LATEX OF THE TREE HEVEA BRASILINESIS – NATIVE OF AMAZON EQUATORIAL FOREST.  HAS PROPERTIES OF ELASTICITY, RESISTANCE TO WATER, AND NON-CONDUCTION OF ELECTRICITY.  RUBBER GROWS WELL IN HOT AND HUMID CLIMATE.  IN INDIA IT IS GROWN FROM KANYAKUMARI BELT IN THE SOUTH TO THE WINDWARD SIDE OF THE WESTERN GHATS.  KERALA= LARGEST PRODUCER OF RUBBER = 90 PERCENT OF PRODUCTION IN INDIA.

GEOGRAPHICAL REQUIREMENTS OF RUBBER  TEMPERATURE = CONSTANT HIGH TEMPERATURE OF AROUND 27 DEGREE CELSIUS. THE TREE CANNOT BE GROWN AT HIGH ALTITUDES BECAUSE OF LOW TEMPERATURE.  RAINFALL = HEAVY, WELL DISTRIBUTED RAINFALL THROUGHOUT THE YEAR. 200 TO 400 cm  SOIL = ALLUVIAL OR LATERITE SOIL.  AREAS OF PRODUCTION =  KERALA, TAMIL NADU, KARNATAKA, ANDAMN AND NICOBAR ISLANDS.

METHODS OF RUBBER CULTIVATION  SOWING = IN TWO WAYS –  TRANSPLANTATION- SEED GERMINATED IN SPECIAL GERMINATION BEDS. AFTER GERMINATION SEEDS ARE FIRST SOWN IN A SMALL PLOT OF LAND OR NURSERY AND ALLOWED TO GROW INTO TINY PLANTS OR SEEDLINGS.  THE HEALTHY, WELL DEVELOPED SEEDLINGS ARE PICKED OUT FROM THE NURSERY BED AND TRANSFERRED TO THE REGULAR FIELD. PROPER DISTANCE IS MAINTAINED BETWEEN THE ROWS PLANTED.  7 TO 8 YEARS MATURITY PERIOD OF RUBBER.  FARMERS GROW COVER CROPS – TO PREVENT SOIL EROSION AND PROVIDE NITROGENOUS COMPONDS TO THE PLANT AND ARE ALSO A SOURCE OF INCOME.

Bud grafting method  A BUD OF A HIGH YIELDING IS ATTACHED TO ANOTHER PLANT.  WHEN THE SEEDLINGS ARE ABOUT 5 cm HIGH, BUDS YIELDING CLONES ARE GRSFTED ON TO THE SEEDLINGS.  THE NEW PLANT COMBINES THE BEST QUALITIES OF BOTH.

TAPPING OF RUBBER  RUBBER OBTAINED AS LATEX FROM RUBBER TREE.  LATEX IS A WHITE MILKY LIQUID OBTAINED BY MAKING A CUT 2 mm DEEP TO LET THE LATEX FLOW OUT BUT NOT TO DAMAGE THE CAMBIAM/ BARK WITH THE LATEX.  THIS IS TO BE DONE IN THE MORNING BECAUSE –  LATEX FLOWS FREELY IN THE MORNING  THERE ARE FEWER CHANCES OF RAIN IN THE MORNING IN THE AREAS OF PRODUCTION.  A TAPPER NEEDS TO BE A HIGHLY SKILLED PERSON.  TAPPING IS A LABOUR INTENSIVE WORK AND NEEDS CHEAP AND EFFICIENT LABOUR.

PROCESSING OF RUBBER  LATEX COLLECTED IS TRANSFERRED TO A PAN AND TAKEN TO THE FACTORY FOR PROCESSING.  LATEX IS PUT INTO A TANK OF WATER.  DISTILLED LATEX IS STRAINED FROM IMPURITIES – DIRT AND BARK BITS.  ACID IS ADDED TO THE STRAINED LATEX  THE RUBBER COAGULATES / THICKENS AND RISES TO THE SURFACE IN SLABS  SLABS ARE REMOVED AND PRESSED TO SQUEEZE OUT THE REMAINING LIQUIDS AND IMPURITIES.  SLABS ARE MOVED TO A SMOKE HOUSE WHERE THEY ARE DRIED FOR SEVERAL DAYS  THE SHEETS ARE PACKED IN BALES AND TAKEN TO THE MARKET FOR SALE.