Genetic factors inherited from both diploid parents interact to affect genome stability and fertility in resynthesized allotetraploid Brassica napus.

Established allopolyploids are known to be genomically stable and fertile. However, in contrast, most newly resynthesized allopolyploids are infertile and meiotically unstable. Identifying the genetic factors responsible for genome stability in newly formed allopolyploid is key to understanding how 2 genomes come together to form a species.

Root system size response of bzh semi-dwarf oilseed rape hybrids to different nitrogen levels in the field.

Background And Aims: In oilseed rape (Brassica napus) semi-dwarf hybrid varieties from crosses between bzh dwarf and normal-type lines are of increasing interest. They have improved nitrogen (N) uptake, N-utilization and N-use efficiency compared to normal types. This study aimed to elucidate whether these N-related effects can be explained by the bzh shoot growth-type alone or also by differences in root traits.

DArT, SNP, and SSR analyses of genetic diversity in Lolium perenne L. using bulk sampling.

Background: Lolium perenne L. is the most important forage grass species in temperate regions. It is also considered as a sustainable source of biomass for energy production.

Evaluation of nine genotypes of oilseed rape (Brassica napus L.) for larval infestation and performance of rape stem weevil (Ceutorhynchus napi Gyll.).

The rape stem weevil, Ceutorhynchus napi Gyll., is a serious pest of winter oilseed rape (Brassica napus L.) crops in Europe causing severe yield loss.

Mapping of QTL for the seed storage proteins cruciferin and napin in a winter oilseed rape doubled haploid population and their inheritance in relation to other seed traits.

Cruciferin (cru) and napin (nap) were negatively correlated and the cru/nap ratio was closely negative correlated with glucosinolate content indicating a link between the two biosynthetic pathways. Canola-type oilseed rape (Brassica napus L.) is an economically important oilseed crop in temperate zones.

Mapping of QTL for seed dormancy in a winter oilseed rape doubled haploid population.

Following winter oilseed rape cultivation, considerable numbers of volunteer oilseed rape plants may occur in subsequent years in following crops. The appearance of volunteer oilseed rape plants is based on the capability of the seeds to become secondary dormant and to survive in this stage for many years in the soil. Genetic reduction of secondary seed dormancy in oilseed rape could provide a means to reduce the frequency of volunteer plants and especially the dispersal of transgenic oilseed rape.

Resynthesized lines from domesticated and wild Brassica taxa and their hybrids with B. napus L.: genetic diversity and hybrid yield.

Resynthesized (Resyn) Brassica napus L. can be used to broaden the genetic diversity and to develop a heterotic genepool for rapeseed hybrid breeding. Domesticated vegetable types are usually employed as B.

Improved Estimation of Oil, Linoleic and Oleic Acid and Seed Hull Fractions in Safflower by NIRS.

Near-infrared reflectance spectroscopy (NIRS) of intact seeds allows the non-destructive estimation of seed quality parameters which is highly desirable in plant breeding. Together with yield, oil content and quality, a main aim in safflower (Carthamus tinctorius L.) breeding is the selection of genotypes with a low percentage of empty seeds even under cooler climates.

Extending the rapeseed gene pool with resynthesized Brassica napus II: Heterosis.

Hybrid breeding relies on the combination of parents from two differing heterotic groups. However, the genetic diversity in adapted oilseed rape breeding material is rather limited. Therefore, the use of resynthesized Brassica napus as a distant gene pool was investigated.

Biomass yield and heterosis of crosses within and between European winter cultivars of turnip rape (Brassica rapa L.).

Because of its high growth rate at low temperatures in early spring, there is renewed interest in Brassica rapa as a winter crop for biomass production in Europe. The available cultivars are not developed for this purpose however. An approach for breeding bioenergy cultivars of B.

Association mapping for phenological, morphological, and quality traits in canola quality winter rapeseed (Brassica napus L.).

QTL mapping by association analysis has recently gained interest in plant breeding research as an alternative to QTL mapping in segregating populations from biparental crosses. In a first experiment on whole-genome association analysis in rapeseed, 684 mapped AFLP markers were tested for association with 14 traits in a set of 84 canola quality winter rapeseed cultivars. For association analysis a general linear model was used.

A new near-infrared reflectance spectroscopy method for high-throughput analysis of oleic acid and linolenic acid content of single seeds in oilseed rape (Brassica napus L.).

The development of oilseed rape cultivars with a high content of oleic acid (18:1) and a low content of linolenic acid (18:3) in the seed oil is an important breeding aim. Oil of this quality is increasingly being sought by the food and the oleochemical industry. Since the oil quality is determined by the genotype of the seed, a selection can be performed among single seeds of segregating populations.

Extent and structure of linkage disequilibrium in canola quality winter rapeseed (Brassica napus L.).

Linkage disequilibrium was investigated in canola quality winter rapeseed to analyze (1) the prospects for whole-genome association analyses and (2) the impact of the recent breeding history of rapeseed on linkage disequilibrium. A total of 845 mapped AFLP markers with allele frequencies >or=0.1 were used for the analysis of linkage disequilibrium in a population of 85 canola quality winter rapeseed genotypes.

Increasing erucic acid content through combination of endogenous low polyunsaturated fatty acids alleles with Ld-LPAAT + Bn-fae1 transgenes in rapeseed (Brassica napus L.).

High erucic acid rapeseed (HEAR) oil is of interest for industrial purposes because erucic acid (22:1) and its derivatives are important renewable raw materials for the oleochemical industry. Currently available cultivars contain only about 50% erucic acid in the seed oil. A substantial increase in erucic acid content would significantly reduce processing costs and could increase market prospects of HEAR oil.

Effect of crop improvement on genetic diversity in oilseed Brassica rapa (turnip-rape) cultivars, detected by SSR markers.

With the improvement of seed quality, Brassica rapa oilseed germplasm went through 2 major breeding bottlenecks during the introgression of genes for zero erucic acid content and low glucosinolate content, respectively. This study investigates the impact of these bottlenecks on the genetic diversity in European winter B. rapa by comparing 3 open-pollinated cultivars, each representing a different breeding period.

Genetic analysis of heterosis for yield and yield components in rapeseed (Brassica napus L.) by quantitative trait locus mapping.

The main objective in this research was the genetic analysis of heterosis in rapeseed at the QTL level. A linkage map comprising 235 SSR and 144 AFLP markers covering 2045 cM was constructed in a doubled-haploid population from a cross between the cultivar "Express" and the resynthesized line "R53." In field experiments at four locations in Germany 250 doubled-haploid (DH) lines and their corresponding testcrosses with Express were evaluated for grain yield and three yield components.

QTL for phytosterol and sinapate ester content in Brassica napus L. collocate with the two erucic acid genes.

Improving oil and protein quality for food and feed purposes is an important goal in rapeseed (Brassica napus L.) breeding programs. Rapeseed contains phytosterols, used to enrich food products, and sinapate esters, which are limiting the utilization of rapeseed proteins in the feed industry.

Conditional QTL mapping of oil content in rapeseed with respect to protein content and traits related to plant development and grain yield.

Oil content in rapeseed (Brassica napus L.) is generally regarded as a character with high heritability that is negatively correlated with protein content and influenced by plant developmental and yield related traits. To evaluate possible genetic interrelationships between these traits and oil content, QTL for oil content were mapped using data on oil content and on oil content conditioned on the putatively interrelated traits.

Comparison of phenotypic and molecular distances to predict heterosis and F1 performance in Ethiopian mustard (Brassica carinata A. Braun).

Predicting heterosis and F1 performance from the parental generation could largely enhance the efficiency of breeding hybrid or synthetic cultivars. This study was undertaken to determine the relationship between parental distances estimated from phenotypic traits or molecular markers with heterosis, F1 performance and general combining ability (GCA) in Ethiopian mustard (Brassica carinata). Nine inbred lines representing seven different geographic regions of Ethiopia were crossed in half-diallel.

QTL of three agronomically important traits and their interactions with environment in a European x Chinese rapeseed population.

A rapeseed population consisted of 282 doubled haploid (DH) lines derived from a cross between a European vality "Sallux" and a Chinese inbred line "Gaoyou" was planted in 4 locations, 2 in Xi'an and Hangzhou, China, and 2 in Goettingen, Germany. Field experiments were carried out to obtain agronomically phenotypic data from above four environments. A linkage map including 125 SSR-markers was constructed and QTL analyses was performed using mixed model approach to detect QTLs showing additive (a), epistasis (aa) as well as their interactions with environments (QE) for three important agronomic traits: plant height, flowering time and maturity.

Resveratrol glucoside (Piceid) synthesis in seeds of transgenic oilseed rape (Brassica napus L.).

Resveratrol is a phytoalexin produced in various plants like wine, peanut or pine in response to fungal infection or UV irradiation, but it is absent in members of the Brassicaceae. Moreover, resveratrol and its glucoside (piceid) are considered to have beneficial effects on human health, known to reduce heart disease, arteriosclerosis and cancer mortality. Therefore, the introduction of the gene encoding stilbene synthase for resveratrol production in rapeseed is a tempting approach to improve the quality of rapeseed products.