Abstract: Rapeseed is the most important oil crop, and stable increase of rapeseed yield is significant for edible oil security. In the past 30 years, China’ s rapeseed breeding has achieved significant progress in quality improvement while the rapeseed yield is in a wandering status. The high photosynthetic efficiency breeding of Brassica napus could increase yield by changing the space of leaves, branches and pods, increase the net photosynthetic rate and decrease respiration consumption. This paper reviewed research progress of high photosynthetic efficiency breeding of rapeseed (Brassica napus L.) by 4 morphological traits: leaf type, plant height, branching characteristics and pod type, and 5 physiological traits: dry matter, photosynthetic area, net photosynthetic rate, chlorophyll content and root. The study pointed out 5 problems in current rapeseed breeding: ①more studies on individual trait but less study on population traits; ②more studies on individual photosynthetic factor but less holistic study; ③more studies on static traits but less study on dynamic traits;④ physiological high photosynthetic efficiency breeding of Brassica napus was still in an exploring stage;⑤ less research on root. Finally, the author suggested that the research of rapeseed highly photosynthetic efficiency breeding in the future should inherit the achievements of available rapeseed breeding, and combining with high oil content breeding, mechanization, ecology breeding and heterosis.