Climate Change and Drought Challenges in Indian Mustard (Brassica juncea) Cultivation- Future Prospects for Sustainable Production under Climate-Smart Agriculture

Indian mustard (Brassica juncea L.) is a cornerstone of edible oil production in India, yet its productivity, is increasingly threatened by the rising frequency and intensity of drought stress. This review highlights the multi-dimensional impact of moisture scarcity on mustard, ranging from inhibited germination to significant yield losses. It also details the physiological and biochemical responses including stomatal regulation, osmotic adjustment via proline accumulation and the activation of antioxidant defense systems to combat oxidative damage, Furthermore, this review also explores the transition from conventional breeding to advanced biotechnological interventions such as integration of muti-omics (genomics, transcriptomics, proteomics and phenomics), marker-assisted selection (MAS) and CRISPR/Cas9 genome editing. By reorienting breeding programs toward climate-smart agriculture, this paper outlines the future prospects for ensuring sustainable mustard production and long-term edible oil security in the face of an increasingly unpredictable climate.