A review of the recently published information on the nutritional aspects of oilseed crops in relation to their yield and quality reveals a substantial scope for increasing their production in the country. National self-sufficiency of edible oil would be enhanced if the productivity of the oilseed crops on marginal soils under rainfed conditions is increased through adoption of improved management technology and improved germplasm. This warrants intensive research efforts in these areas. Applying mineral fertilizers in balanced amounts and in an integrated manner by combining with bulky organic manures and crop residues can ensure sustainable production at higher productivity and higher quality level of the oilseed crops. For optimum utilization of other essential inputs, fertilizer requirements need to be fine tuned, especially in oilseed-based cropping systems and intercropping systems. Besides making best use of the applied nutrients, such management practices can substantially benefit the major cereal crops from the fixed-N, if the accompanying oilseed crop happens to be a leguminous like soybean and groundnut. Combining a cheap source of sulphur with other basic nutrients like nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium and required micronutrients like zinc is very essential in case of oilseeds for both yield and higher oil production under irrigated as well as rainfed conditions. To make best use of the soil-derived phosphorus, inoculation with naturally occurring phosphorus solubalizing micro-organism can be successfully employed.
