Abstract

BackgroundRapeseed (Brassica napus L.) is an important oil crop in the world, and increasing its oil content is a major breeding goal. The studies on seed structure and characteristics of different oil content rapeseed could help us to understand the biological mechanism of lipid accumulation, and be helpful for rapeseed breeding.Methodology/Principal FindingsHere we report on the seed ultrastructure of an ultrahigh oil content rapeseed line YN171, whose oil content is 64.8%, and compared with other high and low oil content rapeseed lines. The results indicated that the cytoplasms of cotyledon, radicle, and aleuronic cells were completely filled with oil and protein bodies, and YN171 had a high oil body organelle to cell area ratio for all cell types. In the cotyledon cells, oil body organelles comprised 81% of the total cell area in YN171, but only 53 to 58% in three high oil content lines and 33 to 38% in three low oil content lines. The high oil body organelle to cotyledon cell area ratio and the cotyledon ratio in seed were the main reasons for the ultrahigh oil content of YN171. The correlation analysis indicated that oil content is significantly negatively correlated with protein content, but is not correlated with fatty acid composition.Conclusions/SignificanceOur results indicate that the oil content of YN171 could be enhanced by increasing the oil body organelle to cell ratio for some cell types. The oil body organelle to seed ratio significantly highly positively correlates with oil content, and could be used to predict seed oil content. Based on the structural analysis of different oil content rapeseed lines, we estimate the maximum of rapeseed oil content could reach 75%. Our results will help us to screen and identify high oil content lines in rapeseed breeding.

Highlights

  • Together with soybean and oil palm, rapeseed is one of the most important oil crops in the world

  • Our breeding group has recently obtained the ultrahigh oil content rapeseed line YN171, whose oil content is 64.8%, which is 55% greater than the oil content of the main rapeseed cultivars in China

  • YN171 has the highest oil content in reported rapeseed lines in the world, and its oil content is 55% greater than the oil content of the main rapeseed cultivars in China

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Summary

Introduction

Together with soybean and oil palm, rapeseed is one of the most important oil crops in the world. High-oil-content breeding is a primary improvement strategy for improving the oil yield in oil crops, and it is an essential goal in B. napus breeding around the world. There are numerous species, such as candlenut, sesame, oiticica and ucuhuba, which contain 60 to 76% oil in their seeds [2] This implies that there is much potentiality to increase the oil content of rapeseed. At present, the oil content of the main rapeseed cultivars is only 45 to 48% in Canada and 41 to 42% in China and Australia [4,5]. Rapeseed (Brassica napus L.) is an important oil crop in the world, and increasing its oil content is a major breeding goal. The studies on seed structure and characteristics of different oil content rapeseed could help us to understand the biological mechanism of lipid accumulation, and be helpful for rapeseed breeding

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