European Journal of Sustainable Agroecosystems

Overview: Increasing global temperatures and high frequency of heat waves during crucial stages of development are viewed as some of the most important abiotic factors affecting the productivity of oil crops. Oilseed crops include soybean (Glycine max), rapeseed-mustard (Brassica sp.), peanut (Arachis hypogaea), sunflower (Helianthus annuus), sesame (Sesamum indicum), safflower, and camelina (Camelina sativa). They are particularly vulnerable during flowering and pollen formation, as well as seed formation, when too high temperatures affect yield and quality of oil content of the seeds. Purpose: This literature examines the biochemical processes by which oilseed plants perceive heat, signal and respond to it, while comparing results between various species and pointing out unresolved questions. Methods of research: The review is made on the basis of scientific research published in peer-reviewed journals as indexed in Scopus, Web of Science, and PubMed, as well as reports from international agricultural and climate organizations during the period from 2015 to 2025, along with some major studies for better understanding of the mechanisms involved. Key observations: The cited articles have a few common biochemical strategies, and they consist of the transcriptome activation of heat shock proteins and other chaperones, the activation of both types of antioxidants to deal with the formation of reactive oxygen species, the process of increasing the unsaturation of membrane lipids by means of fatty acid desaturase, the fact that the area’s synthesis of compatible solutes such as proline and glycine betaine is observed and the heat-stable variants of Rubsico activase stabilize the process of photosynthesis. Nevertheless, there is a significant contradiction in respect to the very amount and directions of membrane unsaturation response, and there is no common understanding of whether osmolyte accumulation is functionally important. Areas of research gaps: As for the field studies, they do not apply omics-methods connected with the groundnut, sesame, and camelina, while they do apply methods of the omics-study for soybeans and brassicas. In summary, learning the biochemical acclimatization patterns helps in the development of plants that are more tolerant to heat and has potential benefits in agriculture.