Development of Novel Brassica napus lines with canola quality and higher levels of oleic and linoleic acids derived from intergeneric hybrids between B. napus and Orychophragmus violaceus

Abstract

Brassica napus L. with more than 80% acreage of brassicas in China was introduced only in the last century with limited genetic variability. The widening of gene pool of this crop through suitable approaches including wide hybridizations is pivotal for its further improvement. In this study, new B. napus inbred lines with flowers having different petal colors (white, slight yellow and yellow), high productivity and with increased levels of oleic (∼70%, 10% higher than that of B. napus parent) and linoleic (28%) acids and reduced glucosinolate content (<30 μmol/g oil free meal) were obtained by pedigree selection through F12 generation in the progenies of one B. napus cv. Oro × Orychophragmus violaceus F5 hybrid plant (2n = 31) which had slight yellow petals. These lines possessed the same chromosome numbers as B. napus (2n = 38) with normal chromosome pairing (19 bivalents) and segregation (19:19) in their pollen mother cells and showed normal seed-set. These novel lines provide valuable germplasm with new gene source of low glucosinolate content for the breeding of canola rapeseed.