Green agricultural fields in southern Romania have turned yellow as rows of rapeseed or canola-like plants bloom. OLI (Operational Land Imager) on the Landsat 8 satellite captured these colorful spots near the confluence of the Olt and Danube rivers on April 12, 2024.

Rapeseed and canola plants belong to the brassica family, which also includes cabbage and mustard. They produce clusters of small, bright yellow flowers that en masse cover entire fields with gold.

The yellow flowers develop into thin pods containing small, oil-rich seeds, similar to pea pods. Once extracted, the oil is used in various chemical, biofuel, food and other industries. Rapeseed oil, commonly used in cooking, is obtained from a low-acid variety of canola.

According to the International Trade Commission, Romania produces 10 percent of the European Union’s grains and oilseeds in a normal year. In Romania, besides rapeseed, the main crops are sunflowers and soybeans, as well as maize, wheat and barley. Annual production of oilseeds is sensitive to drought and heat and has experienced significant fluctuations in recent years.

While the EU as a whole produced 23% of global canola production in 2023, Canada and China produced 21% and 17% respectively that year, topping the list of largest canola and rapeseed producers. Satellites took pictures of vast flowering fields in both countries. The yellow bloom season comes later in Canada than in the EU, and earlier in China.