How does rapeseed disperse its seeds?

The scientific name of rapeseed is Brassica rapa, a plant of the genus Brassica in the family Brassicaceae, and it is cultivated in every province of our country. Rapeseed is one of the main oil crops in our country. Rapeseed bears small yellow flowers, and when they bloom in a large continuous patch they also have a good ornamental effect. So what does rapeseed generally rely on to disperse its seeds?

1. What rapeseed relies on to disperse its seeds

The fruit of rapeseed is a silique. After the naturally grown rapeseed matures, the silique splits open and disperses the seeds by its own elastic force. The rapeseed seeds themselves have weight, and after maturing the fruit produces a catapulting force at the moment it splits open, shooting the seeds outward and thereby achieving seed dispersal. Artificially cultivated rapeseed is dispersed by human planting. In addition, after rapeseed seeds fall to the ground, secondary dispersal may occur; birds, ants and mammals are all possible secondary dispersers.

Rapeseed has a very long cultivation history in our country; it is already recorded in the Eastern Han dynasty work Tongsu Wen, “Yuntai is called Hu Cai”, and Yuntai here refers to rapeseed. The root system of rapeseed is very well developed and its ability to survive is very strong; it can grow as long as it is in a cool and water-rich area, and this is also the reason rapeseed grows widely in our country; it can even be seen in the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau region.

2. The value of rapeseed

Rapeseed has strong edible and ornamental value. Rapeseed can be eaten when it is a young plant, though given the food-loving nature of Chinese people, there is nothing that cannot be eaten. When rapeseed flowers are planted in patches, the small yellow flowers fill the eyes with gold; the rapeseed flowers of Wuyuan, Jiangxi, China are a local scenic sight. When rapeseed is used to press oil, its oil content is 37%-46%, accounting for one third of the rapeseed itself, and in the southern regions of our country people mainly eat rapeseed oil. In addition, rapeseed also has a strong medicinal effect; the Compendium of Materia Medica records that rapeseed can "treat felon and pea sores, dissipate blood and reduce swelling."

The above is some little knowledge about rapeseed. Rapeseed has very high value, and in your spare time you can also go and see the magnificent scene of rapeseed flowers in bloom.