Genome Mapping and Molecular Breeding in Plants presents the current status of the elucidation and improvement of plant genomes of economic interest. The focus is on genetic and physical mapping, positioning, cloning, monitoring of desirable genes by molecular breeding and the most recent advances in genomics. The series comprises seven volumes: Cereals and Millets; Oilseeds; Pulses, Sugar and Tuber Crops; Fruits and Nuts; Vegetables; Technical Crops; and Forest Trees.

Oilseeds is devoted to oil-producing field crops such as soybeans, oilseed rape, peanuts, sunflowers, Indian mustard, Brassica rapa, black mustard and flax. While the grouping of economic plants is conventionally based on their agricultural purposes, several crops covered in this volume have other uses besides yielding oils. Brassica rapa is also used as a vegetable, the sunflower as an ornamental, and flax as a fibre crop. Black mustard, which is used as a condiment but is genetically close to other Brassica species, is also included here.