Ethiopian Mustard (Brassica carinata A. Braun) as an Alternative Energy Source and Sustainable Crop

Abstract

Energy and food source crop demand claims to be vulnerable to climate change impacts. The new and orphan crops, which in the past have received only limited research attention but are sustainable to environmental systems, are needed. In this review, we summarize the available literature about Ethiopian mustard as an alternative energy source and its sustainable economic importance as a new promising Brassicacea crop for new opportunities in the face of producing sustainable environment and energy development. Ethiopian mustard has many advantages and can be adopted to replace crops that are susceptible to adverse environmental conditions. Ethiopian mustard is becoming a new promising Brassicaceae crop with the current global energy demand increases. However, researchers have only focused on energy source production which has resulted in developing high erucic acid varieties. This results partly in limited studies on developing Ethiopian mustard edible oil varieties. The adoption and scaling-up of this promising crop as an oilseed crop in developing countries and Mediterranean conditions can sustain the impact of climate change with the demand for food and energy debate concepts. Indeed, further agronomic, quality and genomic studies on oilseed nutritional traits for efficient breeding and utilization are needed.

Exposure to Salinity and Light Spectra Regulates Glucosinolates, Phenolics, and Antioxidant Capacity of Brassica carinata L. Microgreens

“…Except for GNL, the other five compounds found in B carinata had previously been reported; however, we did not find progoitrin, gluconapin, or gluconasturtiin, which have also been reported in the plant [ 44 ]. The total aliphatic GLs content was consistently high in all treatments, owing to increasing levels of SIN, the most abundant compound in B. carinata [ 2 ]. Salinity stress significantly increased aliphatic GLs contents, which is consistent with previous research among Brassicaceae vegetables [ 22 , 61 , 62 ], and exposure to light wavelengths may have produced a synergistic reaction, leading to an even greater increase.…”

“…Members of the family Brassicaceae have recently gained interest as nutraceutical foods and as a source of natural bioactive compounds, including phenolics and glucosinolates (GLs) [ 1 ]. Among these plants is Ethiopian mustard ( Brassica carinata A. Braun), an orphan crop that originates from the highlands of Ethiopia, where it is known as “Gomenzer” (Yehabesha Gomen) and “Hamli Adri” in Amharic and Tigrigna languages [ 2 ]. B. carinata usefulness as an oilseed crop and as a vegetable has caused its cultivation to spread to other arid and semi areas of the world [ 3 ].…”

“…B. carinata usefulness as an oilseed crop and as a vegetable has caused its cultivation to spread to other arid and semi areas of the world [ 3 ]. Also, the newly developed consumer-friendly varieties of Ethiopian mustard have caused increased acceptability of this nutritious vegetable [ 2 ].…”

“…The leaves and seeds of B. carinata are rich in nutrients, including proteins, carbohydrates, vitamins, and carotenoids [ 4 , 5 ]. Moreover, the vegetable has been reported to contain polyphenols and high contents of GLs, (such as sinigrin (SIN)) whose levels are approximated to be several folds higher compared to cabbage, broccoli, Chinese cabbage, and Korean leaf mustard [ 2 , 6 ]. These compounds owe most cruciferous vegetables their health-promoting potential with GLs hydrolysis products being associated with cancer prevention, antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory and polyphenols with antioxidant activities [ 7 , 8 , 9 ].…”

Morphological Formation, Fatty Acid Profile, and Molecular Identification of Some Landraces of Ethiopian Brassica as a Promising Crop to Support Breeding Programs

“…To ensure the success of a breeding program aimed at improving desirable traits, it is important to search for wide genetic variance between and/or within species to select valuable parents. Ethiopian mustard is usually cultivated for its oil, which is rich in erucic (~40%) and linoleic acids [ 5 , 6 , 7 ]. One of the best ways to breed a Brassica species is to look at the oil content [ 8 ].…”