Introduction

Edible oilseed plants are those plants whose seeds bear fixed non-volatile oil. Such seeds could be consumed directly or may be eaten fried, roasted, or pounded and mixed with sugar; or the oil may be extracted from such seeds and directly used for cooking the food, or for confectionery purposes. The demand for edible oilseeds for human consumption in different parts of the world is principally derived from three categories of cultivated crop plants: primarily cultivated annual oilseed crops; an annual fiber crop cotton through its seed-byproducts; and perennial oilseed plants. Oilseed crop management must be seriously considered in view of the very low yield of these crops in developing countries. Considerable advancement in research has led to an increase in the productivity of the oilseed crops, both in developed as well as in developing countries, particularly in India. Oilseed crops are affected by foliage diseases such as the rusts, downy mildews, powdery mildews, and leaf spots, and blights.