Low Erucic Acid Research Articles

Development and Validation of Kompetitive Allele-Specific PCR Assays for Erucic Acid Content in Indian Mustard [Brassica juncea (L.) Czern and Coss.

Brassica juncea L. is the most widely cultivated oilseed crop in Indian subcontinent. Its seeds contain oil with very high concentration of erucic acid (≈50%). Of late, there is increasing emphasis on the development of low erucic acid varieties because of reported association of the consumption of high erucic acid oil with cardiac lipidosis. Erucic acid is synthesized from oleic acid by an elongation process involving two cycles of four sequential steps. Of which, the first step is catalyzed by β-ketoacyl-CoA synthase (KCS) encoded by the fatty acid elongase 1 (FAE1) gene in Brassica. Mutations in the coding region of the FAE1 lead to the loss of KCS activity and consequently a drastic reduction of erucic acid in the seeds. Molecular markers have been developed on the basis of variation available in the coding or promoter region(s) of the FAE1. However, majority of these markers are not breeder friendly and are rarely used in the breeding programs. Present studies were planned to develop robust kompetitive allele-specific PCR (KASPar) assays with high throughput and economics of scale. We first cloned and sequenced FAE1.1 and FAE1.2 from high and low erucic acid (<2%) genotypes of B. juncea (AABB) and its progenitor species, B. rapa (AA) and B. nigra (BB). Sequence comparisons of FAE1.1 and FAE1.2 genes for low and high erucic acid genotypes revealed single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) at 8 and 3 positions. Of these, three SNPs for FAE1.1 and one SNPs for FAE1.2 produced missense mutations, leading to amino acid modifications and inactivation of KCS enzyme. We used SNPs at positions 735 and 1,476 for genes FAE1.1 and FAE1.2, respectively, to develop KASPar assays. These markers were validated on a collection of diverse genotypes and a segregating backcross progeny. KASPar assays developed in this study will be useful for marker-assisted breeding, as these can track recessive alleles in their heterozygous state with high reproducibility.

Stabilization of metals in sludge-amended soil using red mud and its effects on yield and oil quality of Brassica juncea cultivar Kranti.

Prolonged application of sewage-sludge may cause excessive accumulation of metal(oid)s in soil, leading to phytotoxic effects. Spread of contaminants in soil can probably be hindered by using an effective metal(oid) stabilizer. Pot experiment in open field conditions was conducted for five months to evaluate the metal(oid) (Al, Cu, Zn, Cd and Cr) stabilization potential of red mud (RM) in sludge-amended soil and its effects on growth, yield, oil quality parameters and metal(oid) accumulations in Brassica juncea cultivar Kranti. The test plant was grown at different RM concentrations (0, 5, 10 and 15% w/w) in sludge-amended soil (soil/sludge: 2:1 w/w). As the total and phytoavailable metal(oid) concentrations in sludge were high, its application increased their concentrations in soil compared to the control (no RM and sludge). Increasing RM concentrations in sludge-amended soil effectively stabilized Cd followed by Cr, Cu, Zn and Al, leading to their reduced contents in plants coupled with enhanced growth performance and yield. Maximum plant (root and shoot) biomass (14.9%) and seed yield (40.4%) were found in 10% RM treatment, whereas oil content showed substantial increase with increasing RM treatments in sludge-amended soil. Mustard oil showed low rancidification, high long-chain fatty acids, saturated and polyunsaturated (ω-3 and ω-6) fatty acids within FAO ranges for edible oils under varying RM treatments compared to sludge-amended soil. Furthermore, high oleic and low erucic acid contents in mustard oil indicated a better oil quality under different RM treatments. Metal(oid) contents in seeds under different red mud treatments were within FAO/WHO limits for consumption. Thus, RM applications preferably 5 and 10% (w/w) in sludge-amended soil might be effective in stabilization of metal(oid)s using B. juncea cultivar Kranti coupled with better yield, improved oil quality and metal(oid)s within limits for human consumption.

PSXIII-12 Exploring nutritional differences of canola seeds and bio-processing co-products (meals, pellets) from different processing plants/companies in Canada and China for dairy cattle

Abstract Canola was created as a low erucic acid and low glucosinolate seed, to produce high quality oil for human consumption and meal for use in livestock feed. China is an important user of Canadian canola products (seeds, oil, and meal). The extraction of the oil from the seed produces a co-product called canola meal. This meal is rich in protein and is used as a protein source in animal diets. However, differences in the characteristics of the seeds, or processing methods during oil extraction may affect the quality of this co-product. Plus, the synthesis of tissues and milk is related to the amino acids available to the animal for absorption in the small intestine. This study aimed to determine if there are significant differences in the intestinal digestibility (in vitro) of CP and DM between canola seeds and meals from different companies in Canada and to determine if there are significant differences between them in Canada and China. The three-step procedure was applied on residues from a 12-hour rumen incubation in fistulated dairy cows to estimate the intestinal digestibility of CP and DM. There were significant differences (P &amp;lt; 0.05) for TDDM (Total digestible dry matter) and IDP (intestinal digestibility of protein) of the meals between countries. The samples from China had higher TDDM (83.76% versus 81.53%, P = 0.018), while Canada’s had higher IDP (68.51% versus 65.28%, P = 0.016). No significant differences were observed within countries. Based on the material analyzed during this study, it is safe to affirm that there are no significant differences in the digestibility of DM and CP between Canada and China. It was concluded that the quality of the canola seeds or meals produced in both Canada and China were similar when used in dairy rations. Key words: canola seeds and bio-processing co-products (meals, pellets), nutritional differences, dairy cows

Camelina sativa phosphatidylcholine:diacylglycerol cholinephosphotransferase-catalyzed interconversion does not discriminate between substrates.

Phosphatidylcholine:diacylglycerol cholinephosphotransferases (PDCT) regulate the fatty acid composition of seed oil (triacylglycerol, TAG) by interconversion of diacylglycerols (DAG) and phosphatidylcholine (PtdCho). PtdCho is the substrate for polyunsaturated fatty acid biosynthesis, as well as for a number of unusual fatty acids. By the action of PDCT, these fatty acids can be transferred into the DAG pool to be utilized in TAG biosynthesis by the action of acyl-CoA:DAG and phospholipid:diacylglycerol acyltransferases. Despite its importance in regulating seed oil composition, biochemical characterization of PDCT enzymes has been lacking. We characterized Camelina sativa PDCT in microsomal preparations of a yeast strain expressing Camelina PDCT and lacking the capacity of producing TAG. Camelina PDCT was specific for PtdCho and the sn-1,2 enantiomer of DAG and could not utilize ceramide. The interconversion reaches equilibrium within 15 min of incubation, indicating that only distinct pools of DAG and PtdCho were available for exchange. However, the pool sizes of DAG and PtdCho involved in the exchange were not fixed but increased with the amount of exogenous DAG or PtdCho added. Camelina PDCT showed about the same selectivity for di-oleoyl, di-linoleoyl, and di-linolenoyl species in both PtdCho and DAG substrates, suggesting that no unidirectional transfer of particular unsaturated substrates occurred. Camelina PDCT had a good activity with erucoyl-DAG as a substrate despite low erucic acid levels in PtdCho in plant species accumulating a high amount of this fatty acid in the seed oil.

Effects of high-moisture corn preserved with organic acids combined with rapeseed meal and peas on performance and gut microbiota activity of broiler chickens

The aim of the present study was to evaluate the interactive effects of the inclusion of wet corn grain preserved with organic acids (CP) and soybean meal (SBM) substitutes, including solvent-extracted low erucic acid, low glucosinolate rapeseed meal (RSM) and peas (PEA), in broiler diets. A total of 171 eight-day-old female Ross 308 broilers were distributed into 9 groups, each consisting of 19 birds kept in individual cages. During the 27-day feeding period, the birds received wheat-corn-SBM diets and were arranged in a 3 × 3 factorial design; the factors included corn treatments (CP, heat-dried corn moisture-reconstituted with water (CDW) or with preservative (CDP)) and three protein sources (SBM exclusively or mixed with RSM or PEA at the level of 150/200 g/kg diet). The feed intake and body weight gain declined in birds fed the RSM diet (P < 0.01), while corn treatments had no significant effects on the performance of the broilers. The RSM diets increased bacterial enzyme activity in the ileal and caecal digesta (P < 0.001) and decreased butyrate, acetate and total short-chain fatty acid (SCFA) concentrations in the caecal digesta (P < 0.001) compared with the values detected in the case of the SBM and PEA diets. Corn treatments had negligible effects on the bacterial enzyme activity of ileal and caecal microbiota but induced a decline in lactate concentrations in the ileum in the case of the diets with CP and CDP corn (P < 0.049). Our findings indicate that peas at the level of 150/200 g/kg are a good alternative to SBM, while diets with the same level of RSM may have an adverse effect on growth performance and acetate and butyrate production in the caecum. CP up to the level of 300 g/kg diet and peas can be used with no adverse effects on gut physiological status and the growth performance of broilers and provide an opportunity to include locally available grains in poultry rations.

In Vitro Production of Somaclones with Decreased Erucic Acid Content in Indian Mustard [Brassica juncea (Linn.) Czern&Coss

Brassica juncea is a crucial cultivated mustard species and principal oilseed crop of India and Madhya Pradesh, grown for diverse vegetables, condiments, and oilseeds. Somaclonal variation was explored as a probable source of additional variability for the manipulation of fatty acids, especially low erucic acid contents that may be valuable for this commercially important plant species. The plantlets regenerated from tissue cultures (R0), their R1 generation and respective parental lines were compared for morpho-physiological traits and fatty acid profile for the probable existence of somaclonal variations. The first putative somaclone derived from genotype CS54 contained 5.48% and 5.52% erucic acid in R0 and R1 regenerants, respectively, compared to the mother plant (41.36%). In comparison, the second somaclone acquired from PM30 exhibited a complete absence of erucic acid corresponding to its mother plant (1.07%). These putative somaclones present a source of variation for exploitation in the development of future mustard crops with low erucic acid content.

Applicability of the German Food Based Dietary Guidelines for Infancy to Estimate Exposure to Substances in Food – The Example of Erucic Acid

ObjectivesThe objective of this study was to use the recommended total daily food amounts of the German ‘Dietary Scheme for the first year of life’ (for the first time) to calculate the potential exposure of substances in the infant diet from a public health perspective. Erucic acid was taken as a concrete example, because the European Food Safety Agency (EFSA) recently issued a Tolerable Daily Intake (TDI) for erucic acid with a special note that vulnerable groups, especially young children, may be particularly at risk of exceeding the TDI. MethodsThe age of about 1 month with the highest consumption per kg body weight was chosen for scenarios for the phase of exclusive milk feeding, the age of about 8 months for the CF phase. Principle of calculation was: erucic acid exposure = food consumption volume per kg bodyweight per day x erucic acid concentration in food (from European studies for breastmilk, EFSA food samples for formula, current German market analysis for rapeseed oil, EU food law). We calculated 6 scenarios for the milk phase (4 formula-feeding, 2 breastfeeding) and 8 scenarios for the CF phase (5 CF + formula-feeding, 3 CF + breastfeeding). ResultsOut of the 14 scenarios, only 3 resulted in exposures in the safe range below the TDI (range 4.4.– 6.0 mg/kg BW). All scenarios assuming either high consumption (p95) or high concentration led to high exceedances of the TDI (range 7.5–26.2 mg/kg BW), especially when using maximum values of EU law for formula or vegetable oils (33.6 and 43.2 mg/kg BW respectively). ConclusionsThe Dietary Scheme proved to be a suitable frame to calculate the potential exposure of substances in foods forming the daily infant diet. The results give cause for concern, as the calculated high exposure to erucic acid in the scenarios occurs during infancy as a particularly sensitive developmental period and results from the food-based recommendations as public health guidelines. Considering the scarcity of data, in addition to the proven low erucic acid concentrations in rapeseed oil in Germany, it is imperative to analyze the erucic acid content of mature breast milk and formula as well. Funding SourcesUnion for the Promotion of Oil and Protein Plants (UFOP, Berlin, Germany).

Production, varietal improvement programme and seed availability of annual oilseeds in India: Current scenario and future prospects

Oilseeds are important components ofIndian Agriculture. The demand for oilseeds and edible oils would be 61.5 million tonnes and 17.2 million tonnes, respectively, during 2021-22 and the projected supply of oilseeds be only 39.20 million tonnes against the highest ever production of oilseeds in India i.e. 33.42 m t during 2019-20. As the level of self sufficiency is around 40%, there has been a large import of vegetable oils valued at `81,097 crores during 2020-21 to meet the consumption requirement of the country. Therefore, it is imperative to evolve new climate resilient technologies to increase production. Use of high yielding varieties and quality seeds with a contribution of 15%-20% each to the yield, is the first and foremost approach to enhance oilseeds production. The present paper reviews the current scenario of kharif and rabi annual oilseeds, development of varieties, their induction in to the seed chain and seed production during the last decade (2010-11 to 2019-20). Oilseeds area, production and yield showed inconsistent trend during the decade. The highest area (28.05 mha), production (33.42 m t) and yield (1284 kg/ha) were recorded during 2013-14, 2019-20 and 2017-18, respectively. Area under sesame, niger, linseed, sunflower, safflower and castor ubstantially decreased during 2019-20 and consequently the production also decreased as compared to the base year (2010-11). Nevertheless, there was increase in yield/ha of these crops barring soybean. A total of 299 varieties of nine oilseed crops were developed during the last 11 years. This includes 23 bio-fortified varieties having nutritionally superior-edible oil such as high oleic acid in groundnutand safflower, high linoleic acid in linseed, low erucic acid (and concomitant increase in oleic acid) in oil and/or lowglucosinolates in seedmeal in rapeseed-mustard and KITand lipoxygenase free soybean. Seed production chain of oilseeds during 2020-21 consisted of 261 varieties/hybrids comprising 62 of groundnut, 48 of soybean, 64 of rapeseed-mustard, 29 of sesame, 26 of linseed, 9 of niger, 7 of sunflower, 12 of safflower and 4 of castor including 152 varieties released during the last 10 years (up to 2020). There has been a continuous surge in the requirement for seeds of oilseed crops from 2010-11 (57.88 lakh q) until 2018-19 (58.56 lakh q). Seed requirement during 2019-20 was lower (55.61 lakh q) by 3.9% (2.27 lakh q). The highest seed requirement (67.13 lakh q) for seeds was during 2014-15, an increase of about 16.0%. Seed availability during the decade was always higher except for 2014-15 and 2015-16 which recorded 7.7% and 13.6% shortfall, respectively. The seed replacement rate was morethan ideal except for groundnut, castor and sunflower and varietal replacement rate was also high. Bridging the huge yield gap and bringing additional lands in non-traditional areas and/or seasons and utilization of rice fallows are some ofthe options for enhancing oilseeds production. The latter, needs systematic and concerted efforts to identify suitable varieties and develop matching technologies involving time and cost. Efforts should be made, in the first instance, to reduce yield gap to below 20% in the next 3-4 years by facilitating access of farmers to timely availability of various critical inputs including credit, regular and timely technical backstopping and attractive remunerative prices to the crop produce through market interventions. This would lead to gear up additional production of oilseeds up to 9.0 m t in the immediate future.

Studying the Evaluation Model of the Nutritional Quality of Edible Vegetable Oil Based on Dietary Nutrient Reference Intake

Edible vegetable oils can provide most of the fatty acids, vitamin E, and certain phytochemicals necessary in the daily human diet to facilitate the required physiological activities. However, there are many types of edible vegetable oils on the market, and evaluating their nutritional quality is a matter of significant interest to consumers and producers. Most of the existing research studies that comparatively analyze and qualitatively describe the type, content, and proportion of nutrients in edible vegetable oil lack a comprehensive method for evaluating the nutritional quality of edible vegetable oil. Based on the physical and chemical analysis of fatty acids, vitamins, and phytochemicals in edible vegetable oil, this study aims to establish a model for a comprehensive evaluation of the nutritional quality of edible vegetable oils. The characteristic nutrients in edible vegetable oil were screened as the evaluation index, while the 2013 China Dietary Reference Intake and French Population Reference Intakes For Fatty Acids was considered the evaluation threshold. When each evaluation index in the edible vegetable oil reached the range stipulated by the reference intake of dietary nutrients, the index will get 1 point. The total score of each index was accumulated to evaluate the nutritional quality of the edible vegetable oils comprehensively. In this study, 13 edible vegetable oils, including low erucic acid rapeseed oil (in America, people usually call it canola oil), soybean oil, peanut oil, sunflower seed oil, flaxseed oil, edible blend oil, olive oil, palm oil, corn oil, camellia oil, peony seed oil, sacha inchi oil, and sesame oil, were selected as the evaluation objects because they are very common in China. Seven evaluation indexes were found for total saturated fatty acids (SFAs), atherogenic fatty acids (SFAs with 12, 14, and 16 carbon chains), monounsaturated fatty acids, polyunsaturated fatty acids like linoleic acid and α-linolenic acid, vitamin E, and phytosterol. When the evaluation index met the evaluation threshold, it was scored 1 point. Scores ranged from 2 to 6. The highest scores were obtained from peony seed oil, flaxseed oil, low erucic acid rapeseed oil, and edible blend oil all of which were 6 points. The lowest score belonged to palm oil at 2 points. The higher the score, the higher the degree of satisfaction between the various nutrients in the edible vegetable oil and the dietary reference intake of this model is. This paper establishes a new method for the nutritional evaluation of edible vegetable oils, which is convenient for comparing the overall nutritional quality of different kinds of edible vegetable oils while providing a new technique for the extensive evaluation of edible vegetable oil.

Cattle Feeding Experiment and Chopping Device Parameter Determination for Mechanized Harvesting of Forage Rape Crop

HighlightsForage rape crop could effectively alleviate the lack of green forage for livestock in winter.With the growth of forage rape crop, stem lignification was exacerbated and its palatability degenerated.The relationship between particle length and palatability was explored in a cattle feeding experiment.Optimal working parameters of the chopping device were obtained for harvesting the crop in different stages.Abstract. Forage rape crop, which uses the immature plant leaf and stem of a hybrid rape crop (Brassica napus L.) with low erucic acid and glucosinolate to feed livestock, is an innovative fresh-fed feed material with the advantages of high yield, low cost, rich nutrients, and vigorous growth in winter. In this work, a systematic study was carried out on the relationships among the characteristics of forage rape crop stems, chopping device parameters of the harvester, feeding performance, and chopped particle length (PL) in different growth stages. The results of the stem characteristics tests indicated that stem lignification occurred and increased with growth of the crop from the bolting stage to the silique stage, leading to degeneration of its palatability. The cattle feeding experiment showed that when the bolting rape crop was used, the average feed intake of the cattle fed the chopped rape crop increased by 33.35%, compared to feeding the whole crop without chopping, while the average feeding time decreased by 35.44%. Further experiments on the effects of PL after chopping on feeding performance in different growth stages showed that the optimal PL values in the bolting, flowering, and silique stages were 80, 60, and 30 mm, respectively. Finally, the corresponding cutterhead rotational speeds of the chopping device were calculated as 450, 510, and 1200 r min-1, respectively. This study provides a reference for the development and application of harvesting equipment for forage rape crop. Keywords: Agricultural mechanization, Cattle feeding, Forage palatability, Harvester, Parameter matching.

Effect of INM on quality, nutrient content and uptake of various nutrients by Brassica Juncea L. (Indian mustard)

A field experiment was conducted on student instructional farm of Chandra Shekhar Azad University of Agriculture and Technology, Kanpur (UP) during Rabi season 2017-18 on Brassica Juncea (Indian mustard) with the objective of studying different doses of fertilizers on growth, yield and quality of crop during the crop growth. The research was conducted by taking 10 treatments replicated thrice, various combinations of treatments with 100 % RDF dose of N:P:K:S (RDF) @ 120:60:40:40 kg ha-1 to 50% RDF 60:30:20:20 kg ha-1 along with different combinations of FYM @ 5 t ha-1 or 2.5 t ha-1, vermicompost @ 1.25 t ha-1 or 0.62 t ha-1, Bio-fertilizers (Azotobacter + PSB) @ 7.5 Kg ha-1, ZnSO4 @ 10Kg ha-1 were made to see the effect of various sources of fertilizers individually on growth characters, yield attributes, quality characters viz oil quality, oil content, protein content, protein quality, N P K S Zn content in straw and grain were obtained separately, and their uptake by straw and grain etc. In the following experiment, results reveals that the highest oil content recorded was (40.15 %) with oil yield of 933.48 (kg ha-1), similarly protein content as 17.37 % and protein yield as 403.85 (kg ha-1) all these observations were recorded best in the treatment having 50% RDF + FYM @ 2.5 t ha-1 + Vermicompost @ 0.62 t ha-1 + Bio-fertilizers @ 7.5kg ha-1 + ZnSO4 @10 kg ha-1 followed by treatment T7 having 75% RDF + Vermicompost @ 0.62 t ha-1 + Bio-fertilizers @ 7.5 kg ha-1, treatments T6 and T8 also showed similar results and were significantly at par from treatments having 100 % RDF, control and other treatments T1 to T5. Therefore these treatments were recommended on the basis of this research work for obtaining better results viz., oil quality, oil content, protein content, protein quality, nutrient uptake and for producing quality mustard. The variety Pusa Mustard – 30 having its specialisation in low Erucic acid content (

Contribution of Apis Mellifera L. in Seed Yield and Quality of Rapeseed Canola

Brassica napus provide valuable oil with low erucic acid content but it has low productivity. To improve this, managed honey bee pollination assumes importance. An experiment was conducted at the University Seed Farm, Ladhowal on B. napus with three treatments viz. open pollination, intensive bee pollination by placing 4 bee-frame Apis mellifera colony inside nylon netting cage (6x3x2 m) and pollinators’ exclusion by caging the plots with nylon net. Results revealed that the maximum number of silique/ plant (1120.66± 54.14), seeds/ siliqua (24.46± 0.21), thousand seeds weight (4.29± 0.11g) and seed yield (15.21± 0.27 q/ ha) were obtained with open pollinated plots, resulting in 310.65, 52.59, 46.42 and 87.78% increase over pollinators’ exclusion (self-pollination), respectively. The respective increase due to A. mellifera alone was 83.79, 35.50, 21.84 and 43.46%. Thus, A. mellifera is a promising honey bee for augmenting pollination of B. napus in achieving higher seed yield.

Vigor difference during storage and germination in Indian mustard explained by reactive oxygen species and antioxidant enzymes

Canola-type genotypes in Indian mustard (Brassica juncea) are a new kind of quality resource developed for their low levels of erucic acid (&lt;2%) and glucosinolate (&lt;30 μmole/g defatted meal) contents. Single-zero (low erucic acid) and double-zero (low erucic acid and glucosinolate content) genotypes of Indian mustard have less vigor. Conventional genotypes (high erucic acid and glucosinolate contents) havea significantly higher seedling vigor index-II (SVI-II) and single-zero genotypes have a significantly higher SVI-I, whereas double-zero genotypes have been observed to have a significantly lower SVI-I and SVI-II. To know the possible reasons for the differences in vigor, the seed quality parameters, reactive oxygen species (ROS) contents (superoxide radicals (O2−·) and hydrogen peroxide), lipid peroxidation, and antioxidant enzyme activity were examined. In the dry seeds, the conventional genotypes revealed lower ROS contents and higher catalase and peroxidase enzyme activity. This trend was reversed in the double-zero genotypes, which could be the reason why they were more susceptible to oxidative damage. During seed germination, an increase in the ROS contents, and corresponding increase in antioxidant enzyme activity, was noticed, which was highest in the conventional genotypes, followed by the single-zero genotypes. Double-zero genotypes showed the lowest increase in ROS contents and antioxidant enzyme activity during this period. This meant that the required attributes were met for maintaining oxidative balance within the cells and triggering physiological activities to reach high vigor. This study proposed 2 causes for the poor vigor of the double-zero genotypes; first, in the dry seeds, the ROS remained high due to low antioxidant activity (ROS scavengers) and the second was less generation of O2−· during germination.

Application of Natural Clays for Purification of Rapeseed Oil from Colorant

The possibility of using various types of natural powder and acid-modified clay materials as sorbents for the purification of unrefined rapeseed oil from coloring matter was studied. It was demonstrated that the content of carotenoids and pigments of the chlorophyll group in low erucic acid content rapeseed oil treated with a sorbent does not depend on the type of clay. It was found that the pulverization treatment of the surface of clays with solutions of succinic and oxalic acids in comparison with the action of natural sorbents leads to an insignificant (6–14%) decrease in the degree of extraction of dyes from rapeseed oil.

Characteristics, composition and functional properties of seeds, seed cake and seed oil from different Brassica carinata genotypes

Carinata (Brassica carinata) is an oilseed crop with potential in biofuel production and livestock feed. The present research was conducted to evaluate twenty Brassica carinata genotypes used in breeding programs to develop commercial production of Brassica carinata with low levels of erucic acid. The following characters were evaluated: oil contents, fatty acid profiles, physicochemical characteristics of oils, as well as the content of protein, total phenolic compounds, and the antiradical activity of Brassica carinata defatted seed cake. The oil analysis indicated desirable quality, including low percentages of free fatty acids (FFA), high amounts of unsaponifiable matter (USM), and low values for primary and secondary oxidation products that were under the regulated limits. The oil contents of the samples varied between 27.0 and 39.2%. A total of 16 fatty acid compositions were identified in different samples. As compared to the commercial canola oil, it was observed that Brassica carinata 14C genotype had quite similar fatty acid composition. Total phenolics and protein contents of Brassica carinata cake extract varied from 43.2 to 132 mg/100 g and from 24.6 to 35.4%, respectively. It can be noted that Brassica carinata genotype 14C with low erucic acid (EA) and high oleic acid contents consider as an edible oil cultivar. Regarding EA, the genotypes 3C, 10C, and 17C with low EA content could be recommended as a basis for further breeding programs. Brassica carinata cake from different genotypes might be a valuable source of natural antioxidants due to their antioxidant capacities and free radical scavenging potential.

Association of Clubroot Resistance Locus PbBa8.1 With a Linkage Drag of High Erucic Acid Content in the Seed of the European Turnip.

Clubroot caused by Plasmodiophora brassicae is a severe threat to the production of Brassica napus, worldwide. The cultivation of resistant varieties is the most efficient and environmentally friendly way to limit disease spread. We developed a highly resistant B. napus line, ZHE226, containing the resistance locus PbBa8.1. However, ZHE226 seeds contain high erucic acid content, which limits its cultivation owing to its low edible oil quality. A segregation population of BC3F2 was developed by crossing ECD04, a resistant European turnip donor, with Huangshuang5, an elite variety with no erucic acid in its seeds, as a recurrent plant. Fine mapping using the bulk segregation analysis sequencing (BSA-Seq) approach detected PbBa8.1 within a 2.9 MB region on chromosome A08. Interestingly, the previously reported resistance gene Crr1a was found in the same region. Genetic analysis revealed that the CAP-134 marker for Crr1a was closely linked with clubroot resistance (CR). Thus, PbBa8.1 and Crr1a might be allelic for CR. Moreover, comparative and genetic analysis showed that high erucic acid in the seeds of ZHE226 was due to linkage drag of fatty acid elongase 1 (FAE1) in the ECD04 line, which was located in the interval of PbBa8.1 with a physical and genetic distance of 729 Kb and 1.86 cm, respectively. Finally, a clubroot-resistant line with a low erucic acid content was successfully developed through gene-specific molecular marker assistant selection from BC4F4. These results will accelerate CR breeding programs in B. napus.

Winter camelina seeds as a raw material for the production of erucic acid-free oil.

Camelina oil is increasingly popular as consumption as oil. Erucic acid is an unwanted fatty acid in oil. First studies on several genotypes have shown that this oil contains varying amounts of eriuc acid. The aim of the study was to analyses content of eriuc acid in all genotypes camelina. Hypothesis was that the content of erucic acid in winter forms is lower than in spring ones. A field experiment with 65 spring genotypes and 9 winter genotypes of camelina was conducted in Poland from 2016 to 2018. The analyses based on two chromatographic methods, i.e. UPLC-DAD and GC-MS, showed no differences in the results for the camelina samples. The average percentage content of the erucic acid in the spring genotypes was 3.432%, and in the winter genotypes was 0.1%. Our three-year research shows that some winter varieties can be used as low erucic acid forms.

Phenotypic Examination of Camelina sativa (L.) Crantz Accessions from the USDA-ARS National Genetics Resource Program.

Camelina sativa (L.) Crntz. is a hardy self-pollinated oilseed plant that belongs to the Brassicaceae family; widely grown throughout the northern hemisphere until the 1940s for production of vegetable oil but was later displaced by higher-yielding rapeseed and sunflower crops. However, interest in camelina as an alternative oil source has been renewed due to its high oil content that is rich in polyunsaturated fatty acids, antioxidants as well as its ability to grow on marginal lands with minimal requirements. For this reason, our group decided to screen the existing (2011) National Genetic Resources Program (NGRP) center collection of camelina for its genetic diversity and provide a phenotypic evaluation of the cultivars available. Properties evaluated include seed and oil traits, developmental and mature morphologies, as well as chromosome content. Selectable marker genes were also evaluated for potential use in biotech manipulation. Data is provided in a raw uncompiled format to allow other researchers to analyze the unbiased information for their own studies. Our evaluation has determined that the NGRP collection has a wide range of genetic potential for both breeding and biotechnological manipulation purposes. Accessions were identified within the NGRP collection that appear to have desirable seed harvest weight (5.06 g/plant) and oil content (44.1%). Other cultivars were identified as having fatty acid characteristics that may be suitable for meal and/or food use, such as low (<2%) erucic acid content, which is often considered for healthy consumption and ranged from a high of 4.79% to a low of 1.83%. Descriptive statistics are provided for a breadth of traits from 41 accessions, as well as raw data, and key seed traits are further explored. Data presented is available for public use.

Molecular and biotechnical approaches for oil quality improvement in Brassica species

Crop Brassicas encompass many diverse types of plants, which are grown as vegetables, fodder or sources of oils and condiments. Rapeseed-mustard comprising eight different species viz., Indian mustard, toria, yellow sarson, brown sarson, gobhi sarson, karanrai, black mustard and taramira. The oleiferous Brassica species, commonly known as rapeseed-mustard is the major group among the oil seed production in the world and it constitutes the world’s third important source of edible oil. High amount of erucic acid; C22:1 (40-57%), presence of high level of glucosinalates and other phenolic compounds lower its utility as edible oil. The quality improvement emphasis is to reduce/eliminate these compounds. The conversion of erucic to oleic acid is done by fatty acid elongase (FAE1) coding for ß ketoacylCoA synthase (KCS). Omics and GWAS help in dissecting the desired QTLs. Molecular evidence has revealed that two-base-pair deletion of AA at the 1,422–1,423 base sites (eC2) for the FAE1 gene resulted in the low erucic acid (LEA) phenotypes. The C-QTL’s viz., OIL-C-A8-1,OIL-C-A10-1,OIL-C-B1-1,OIL- C-B2-1,OIL-C-B3-1,OIL-C-B4- 1,OIL-C-B7-1 contributed for high oil content. CYP79F1 is involved in regulating the synthesis of 3C Glucosinolates in B. juncea. The RNAi method is the powerful technique in suppressing the activity of FAE1 and helps in down regulating the production of erucic acid and thus contributing for the development of the zero erucic acid lines. There is meager research work in the elimination/reduction of other anti- nutritional factors which has to be improved by the breeding efforts.

Isoforms of Acyl-CoA:Diacylglycerol Acyltransferase2 Differ Substantially in Their Specificities toward Erucic Acid.

In most oilseeds, two evolutionarily unrelated acyl-CoA:diacylglycerol acyltransferase (DGAT) enzymes, DGAT1 and DGAT2, are the main contributors to the acylation of diacylglycerols in the synthesis of triacylglycerol. DGAT1 and DGAT2 are both present in the important crop oilseed rape (Brassica napus), with each type having four isoforms. We studied the activities of DGAT isoforms during seed development in microsomal fractions from two oilseed rape cultivars: edible, low-erucic acid (22:1) MONOLIT and nonedible high-erucic acid MAPLUS. Whereas the specific activities of DGATs were similar with most of the tested acyl-CoA substrates in both cultivars, MAPLUS had 6- to 14-fold higher activity with 22:1-CoA than did MONOLIT. Thus, DGAT isoforms with different acyl-CoA specificities are differentially active in the two cultivars. We characterized the acyl-CoA specificities of all DGAT isoforms in oilseed rape in the microsomal fractions of yeast cells heterologously expressing these enzymes. All four DGAT1 isoforms showed similar and broad acyl-CoA specificities. However, DGAT2 isoforms had much narrower acyl-CoA specificities: two DGAT2 isoforms were highly active with 22:1-CoA, while the ability of the other two isoforms to use this substrate was impaired. These findings elucidate the importance, which a DGAT isoform with suitable acyl-CoA specificity may have, when aiming for high content of a particular fatty acid in plant triacylglycerol reservoirs.