Nanotechnologies for vegetable oilseeds production

India is among the largest producers and consumers of vegetable oils in the world. Oilseeds have been backbone of the agricultural economy of India. The Indian vegetable oil economy is the fourth largest next to the USA, China and Brazil. Oilseed crops are the second most important in the Indian agricultural economy next food grains in terms of area and production. Despite the fact that oilseeds play a pivotal role in Indian economy, the crops are being devastated by a wide array of pests and diseases besides abiotic stresses. This situation necessitates import of edible oils to the tune of 14 million tonnes worth over ` 1.57 lakh crores. This motivates Indian agricultural scientists looking for alternative strategies to sustain the oilseed production regardless of agro-climatic conditions spread across the country. Nanotechnology is one of the most fascinating cutting-edge technologies dealing with atomic manipulations which is known to evolve processes and products precise to deliver inputs to promote crop productivity while ensuring environmental safety. This review brings out four key areas encompassing (1) early detection of pests, diseases and nutrient deficiencies using nano-diagnostics, (2) design and fabrication of customized nano-agricultural inputs to improve productivity of oilseed crops, (3) nanotechnologies to improve oilseed qualities and (4) biosafety of nano-agri inputs that can be applied in oilseed production system to improve the yield and quality regardless of crops being exposed to abiotic and biotic stresses.