Rapeseed accessions as a climate smart agriculture strategy and food security in arid regions: yield, oil quality, and soil remediation under saline and wastewater irrigation
Year: 2026
Type: article
Abstract: Climate change, water scarcity, and soil salinization are major constraints to crop production in the Eastern Mediterranean impacting food security, particularly in marginal lands where conventional irrigation is limited. Climate-smart agriculture approaches that combine stress-tolerant crops with non-conventional water sources may help sustain production while improving soil conditions. In this research, 48 rapeseed accessions ( Brassica spp. and Sinapis spp.) were evaluated during the 2020–2022 winter seasons under irrigation with saline water (5.8 dS m - ¹) and treated wastewater (TWW; 2.0 dS m - ¹) in Jordan. Phenology, morphology, seed and oil yield, straw and seed-cake quality, and changes in soil electrical conductivity and Na + stocks were assessed over two years. Plants matured earlier under saline irrigation, while biomass and seed yield were greater under TWW. Across accessions, seed production increased by 43.7% and oil yield by 37.2%. Rapeseed also contributed to soil remediation, reducing salinity by 2.30–3.40% and removing 78.48–111.60 kg Na + ha - ¹ yr - ¹. Yield increased by 15.1% in the second year without additional inputs, indicating progressive system improvement. Among the tested materials, Olga ( B. napus ) produced 3.13 t ha - ¹ of seed under saline irrigation, Gisilba ( S. alba ) produced 4.49 t ha - ¹ of seed and 40.15 t ha - ¹ of straw under TWW, and Profit ( B. napus ) achieved 47.73% oil content. These findings show that rapeseed germplasm can support climate-smart agriculture in arid environments by producing edible oil, high-protein animal feed, strengthening food security, and contributing to soil desalination under saline water and treated wastewater irrigation.
Source: Frontiers in Agronomy
Language: English
Subfield: Waste Management and Disposal
Field: Environmental Science
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: gold
Estimated APC paid: $3,077
OpenAlex ID: W7224782659