Breeding to increase the concentration of 2-phenylethyl glucosinolate in the roots of Brassica napus.

Abstract

Root concentrations of 2-phenylethyl glucosinolate in canola, Brassica napus, influence the susceptibility of the crop to the root lesion nematode (Pratylenchus neglectus), as well as the nematicidal effect of root tissues as they degrade in the soil. Plants containing high 2-phenylethyl glucosinolate should therefore reduce soil populations of P. neglectus. A selection program was developed to increase the proportion of total glucosinolates contributed by 2-phenylethyl glucosinolate in the roots of B. napus cv. Dunkeld. Variation within this accession was observed to be stable across the S1 and S2 generations. The segregation observed for 2-phenylethyl glucosinolate percentage suggested that the trait was encoded at a single locus, with the "high" phenotype being dominant. Plants with the high 2-phenylethyl glucosinolate phenotype (>45% of total glucosinolates) were shown to be significantly more resistant to P. neglectus than otherwise identical "low" phenotypes (<45% of total).