Perilla Frutescens: A Potential Oilseed Crop for the Indian Himalayas

Perilla frutescens (L.) Britton, adapted to the north eastern and Uttarakhand Himalayas of India, would be attractive to replace some non-profitable traditional crops from those areas. The introduction of Perilla frutescens to the Himalayan cropping system requires information concerning its performance under the local environmental conditions. Studies were conducted to determine seed oil content and fatty acid composition of Perilla frutescens landraces grown at the NBPGR Regional stations Bhowali and Shillong. The characters studied varied with the landraces and location. The results indicated that Perilla frutescens is well adapted to Northeastern Himalayas and could be introduced as an alternative oil seed plant in marginal and low input areas of the North-eastern states.