Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Exploitation of the late flowering species Brassica oleracea L. for the improvement of earliness in B. napus L.: an untraditional approach

  • Published:
Euphytica Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

The oilseed Brassica rapa flowers and matures earlier than B. oleracea, as well as their amphidiploid B. napus. Therefore, earliness of B. rapa has been investigated as a source of variation for earliness in B. napus breeding programs. Variation for days to flower exists in B. oleracea; however, its earliest flowering variant B. alboglabra flowers 2–3 weeks later than B. napus. We hypothesized that the C genome of B. alboglabra carries alleles for early flowering which are different from the C-genome alleles of B. napus; and these alleles can be used for the improvement of B. napus. To test this, we examined flowering time in pedigree and DH populations from two B. napus × B. alboglabra crosses. A B. napus line with about a week earlier flowering than the B. napus parent was achieved through reconstitution of its C genome following pedigree selection. Introgression of the B. alboglabra allele in the early flowering pedigree lines is also evident from the presence of B. alboglabra-specific SSR alleles in this line. However, application of doubled haploidy failed to generate any line that flowered earlier than the B. napus parent, which is probably due to the difficulty of obtaining large numbers of euploid B. napus DH lines from this interspecific cross. Thus, we demonstrate that a trait of the diploid species, which apparently looks undesirable, might in fact be highly valuable for the improvement of amphidiploids; and knowledge from this research can also be applied for other traits.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Baggett JR, Kean D (1989) Inheritance of annual flowering in Brassica oleracea. Hortic Sci 24:662–664

    Google Scholar 

  • Bennett RA, Thiagarajah MR, King JR, Rahman MH (2008) Interspecific cross of Brassica oleracea var. alboglabra and B. napus: effects of growth condition and silique age on the efficiency of hybrid production, and inheritance of erucic acid in the self-pollinated backcross generation. Euphytica 164:593–601

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Bohuon EJR, Ramsay LD, Craft JA, Arthur AE, Marshall DF, Lydiate DJ, Kearsey MJ (1998) The association of flowering time quantitative trait loci with duplicated regions and candidate loci in Brassica oleracea. Genetics 150:393–401

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Butruille DV, Guries RP, Osborn TC (1999) Linkage analysis of molecular markers and quantitative trait loci in populations of inbred backcross lines of Brassica napus L. Genetics 153:949–964

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Camargo LEA, Osborn TC (1996) Mapping loci controlling flowering time in Brassica oleracea. Theor Appl Genet 92:610–616

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Canadian Food Inspection Agency (1999) The Biology of Brassica rapa L. Regulatory Directive, Dir 1999–02, Plant Health and Production Division, Plant Biotechnology Office, Canadian Food Inspection Agency, Government of Canada, p 18

  • Cruz VMV, Luhman R, Marek LF, Rife CL, Shoemaker RC, Brummer EC, Gardner CAC (2007) Characterization of flowering time and SSR marker analysis of spring and winter type Brassica napus L. germplasm. Euphytica 153:43–57

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Ferreira ME, Satagopan J, Yandell BS, Williams PH, Osborn TC (1995) Mapping loci controlling vernalization requirement and flowering time in Brassica napus. Theor Appl Genet 90:727–732

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hasan M, Seyis F, Badani AG, Pons-Kühnemann J, Friedt W, Lühs W, Snowdon RJ (2006) Analysis of genetic diversity in the Brassica napus L. gene pool using SSR markers. Genet Resour Crop Evol 53:793–802

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Kubik TJ, Hawkins GP, Stringam GR (1999) Cytological stability of doubled haploid lines derived from interspecific crosses between B. napus L. and B. rapa L. Proc.10th Int. Rapeseed Congr., Canberra, Australia

  • Lagercrantz U (1998) Comparative mapping between Arabidopsis thaliana and Brassica nigra indicates that Brassica genomes have evolved through extensive genome replication accompanied by chromosome fusions and frequent rearrangements. Genetics 150:1217–1228

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Lagercrantz U, Lydiate DJ (1996) Comparative genome mapping in Brassica. Genetics 144:1903–1910

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Long Y, Shi J, Qiu D, Li R, Zhang C, Wang J, Hou J, Zhao J, Shi L, Beom-Seok P, Choi SR, Lim YP, Meng J (2007) Flowering time quantitative trait loci analysis of oilseed Brassica in multiple environments and genomewide alignment with Arabidopsis. Genetics 177:2433–2444

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Makarevitch I, Phillips RL, Springer NM (2008) Profiling expression changes caused by a segmental aneuploid in maize. BMC Genomics 9:7. doi:10.1186/1471-2164-9-7

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Mei DS, Wang HZ, Hu Q, Li YD, Xu YS, Li YC (2009) QTL analysis on plant height and flowering time in Brassica napus. Plant Breed 128:458–465

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Miller TA (2001) Agronomic and quality performance of three doubled haploid lines derived from a Brassica napus/Brassica rapa interspecific cross. M.Sc. thesis, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Canada, pp 79

  • Möllers C, Iqbal MCM, Röbbelen G (1994) Efficient production of doubled haploid Brassica napus plants by colchicine treatment of microspores. Euphytica 75:95–104

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Nishioka M, Tamura K, Hayashi M, Fujimori Y, Ohkawa Y, Kuginuki Y, Harada K (2005) Mapping of QTLs for bolting time in Brassica rapa (syn. campestris) under different environmental conditions. Breed Sci 55:127–133

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Okazaki K, Sakamoto K, Kikuchi R, Saito A, Togashi E, Kuginuki Y, Matsumoto S, Hirai M (2007) Mapping and characterization of FLC homologs and QTL analysis of flowering time in Brassica oleracea. Theor Appl Genet 114:595–608

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Osborn TC, Kole C, Parkin IAP, Sharpe AG, Kuiper M, Lydiate DJ, Trick M (1997) Comparison of flowering time genes in Brassica rapa, B. napus and Arabidopsis thaliana. Genetics 146:1123–1129

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Palmer JD, Shields CR, Cohen DB, Orton TJ (1983) Chloroplast DNA evolution and the origin of amphidiploid Brassica species. Theor Appl Genet 65:181–189

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Prakash S, Hinata K (1980) Taxonomy, cytogenetics and origin of crop Brassicas, a review. Opera Bot 55:1–57

    Google Scholar 

  • Qian W, Chen X, Fu D, Zou J, Meng J (2005) Intersubgenomic heterosis in seed yield potential observed in a new type of Brassica napus introgressed with partial Brassica rapa genome. Theor Appl Genet 110:1187–1194

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Rae AM, Howell EC, Kearsey MJ (1999) More QTL for flowering time revealed by substitution lines in Brassica oleracea. Heredity 83:586–596

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Rahman MH (2001) Production of yellow seeded Brassica napus through interspecific crosses. Plant Breed 120:463–472

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ringdahl EA, McVetty PBE, Sernyk JL (1986) Inheritance of earliness, height, and leaf number in crosses of early maturing rapeseed. Can J Genet Cytol 28:1009–1015

    Google Scholar 

  • Rohlf FJ (2001) NTSYS-pc numerical taxonomy and multivariate analysis system. Exeter Publ., Setauket

    Google Scholar 

  • SAS Institute (2004) SAS/Stat User’s Guide, Version 9. SAS Institute Inc., Cary, NC

    Google Scholar 

  • Schranz ME, Quijada P, Sung S-B, Lukens L, Amasino R, Osborn TC (2002) Characterization and effects of the replicated flowering time gene FLC in Brassica rapa. Genetics 162:1457–1468

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Song KM, Osborn TC, Williams PH (1988) Brassica taxonomy based on nuclear restriction fragment length polymorphisms (RFLPs). 1. Genome evolution of diploid and amphidiploid species. Theor Appl Genet 75:784–794

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Stringam GR, Degenhardt DF, Thiagarajah MR, Bansal VK (2000) Hi-Q summer rape. Can J Plant Sci 80:835–836

    Google Scholar 

  • U N (1935) Genome-analysis in Brassica with special reference to the experimental formation of B. napus and peculiar mode of fertilization. Jpn J Bot 7:390–452

    Google Scholar 

  • Zaman MW (1988) Limitations for introgression of yellow seed colour in Brassica napus. Sver Utsädesfören Tidskr 98:157–161

    Google Scholar 

  • Zhao J, Paulo M-J, Jamar D, Lou P, van Eeuwijk F, Bonnema G, Vreugdenhil D, Koornneef M (2007) Association mapping of leaf traits, flowering time, and phytate content in Brassica rapa. Genome 50:963–973

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgments

Funding by Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) as Discovery grant and Alberta Canola Producers Commission (ACPC) to the first author is gratefully acknowledged. Thanks are also extended to the personnel of the Canola Program of the University of Alberta for technical assistance.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Agricultural, Food and Nutritional Science, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, T6G 2P5, Canada

    M. Habibur Rahman, Rick A. Bennett, Rong-Cai Yang, Berisso Kebede & Mohan R. Thiagarajah

Authors
  1. M. Habibur Rahman
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Rick A. Bennett
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Rong-Cai Yang
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Berisso Kebede
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. Mohan R. Thiagarajah
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to M. Habibur Rahman.

Electronic supplementary material

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Rahman, M.H., Bennett, R.A., Yang, RC. et al. Exploitation of the late flowering species Brassica oleracea L. for the improvement of earliness in B. napus L.: an untraditional approach. Euphytica 177, 365–374 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10681-010-0253-5

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10681-010-0253-5

Keywords

Search

Navigation