Rapeseed science and production in China: Advances, challenges, and prospects

Rapeseed ( Brassica napus L.) is the largest oilseed crop in China and accounts for about 50% of the nation's total oil output from oilseed crops. Over the past decade, China's rapeseed industry has maintained steady growth in cultivation area, total production, and yield, which is of great significance for improving the country's edible oil self-sufficiency. Meanwhile, significant advances have been achieved in functional genomics, gene discovery, germplasm innovation, breeding technologies, and the development and application of functional markers. High-quality reference genomes, pan-genomes, and multi-omics datasets have greatly accelerated the discovery and functional characterization of genes for yield, quality, disease resistance, abiotic stress tolerance, and development, some of which have been validated by gene editing and applied in molecular breeding. Yet China remains a major rapeseed importer, facing a persistent supply–demand gap, yield limitation, and increasing threats from clubroot, sclerotinia stem rot, and climate-induced abiotic stresses such as drought, waterlogging, and extreme temperatures. This review summarizes the development of rapeseed genomics, functional gene identification, and breeding technologies in China over the past decade, as well as the current challenges facing rapeseed cultivation in China's major ecological regions. To address these challenges, future efforts should focus on increasing genetic diversity, developing and utilizing cutting-edge breeding technologies, and establishing comprehensive breeding platforms to promote genetic improvement of rapeseed and ensure its healthy and sustainable development.