Oil Seed and Oil Crop

Cultivation and Importance of Oil Seeds and Oil Crops

Edible Oil is integral part of our daily diet. It is essential for Health. Fats and oils are available from different sources like animal and plants. Animal Fats are derived from Milk, Butter etc but compared to the oil obtained from various Oil Crops are very costly.

Oil from plants is easily digestible and its Nutrient Quality is better than that of Animal Fats. Also more energy is supplied by plant products than that by Animal Products, particularly from Oil Crops like Groundnut, Soybean, Palm and Mustard etc.

For example oil extracted from Coconut, Groundnut or Mustard supplies 900 kilo-calorie (energy) as against Butter and Fish which provides 729 and 273 kilo-calorie, respectively.

It is evident that Vegetable Oil, which may be obtained from plant sources by cultivation of Oil Crops, is no less important than Animal Fat for energy.

The Nutritional requirements of human being are vary depending on the body weight, age, sex climate etc. It is generally recommended that 15% to 20% of the total calories requirement for a person should be supplied from fats and Oils. The average requirement, at this rate, works out to approximately 35 gm.

Oil Seeds provide an additional advantage because the Oil cake or meal contains adequate amounts of protein which is available without any extra cost and labor. Both men and animal derive benefit from them either directly or indirectly. The Mustard cake is good manure or Crops. It is also beneficial as a feed for draft animal and milch cows. The Protein content in the "whole seeds" of most Oil Crops varies from 20 % to 25%, but in the cakes it is much higher.

Soybean is an exception in that it contains 40% to 45% protein, which is the highest of all the Crops. Like Vegetable Oil, proteins food from vegetable sources is cheaper than that from animal sources and is more desirable.

Some other benefits are also derived from Oil Seeds. Milk from Soybean and Groundnut is important among these. The milk prepared from Soybean is already in use within many countries. Beside Soybean and Groundnut improve the soil by addition of Nitrogen from their nodules formed in the root system. This increases the yield of the next crop substantially and reduces the requirement of Nitrogenous Fertilizers.

For example, it is found that the effect of the next Wheat Crop is very beneficial.

Another benefit of growing Oil Crops like Mustard, Sesame, Sunflower and Niger is that they are a source of Honey collected by bees. Also no one can deny the aesthetic beauty of Sunflower, Safflower, Niger when in bloom. Thus an Oil Crop not only helps in getting Oil, Protein, Milk, Honey, Nitrogen (fertilizer) but also beautifies the landscape.

Which other Crop can provide so many benefits at one time?

It is therefore important that Oil Seed should be cultivated and the production increased to reduce the deficiency of oil as well as to derive other benefits.

Thanks for reading my Oil Seed and Oil Crop Blog.

Related:

Soybean is the best Pulse Crop for Nutrition