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Showing papers on "Rapeseed published in 2014"


Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: The results indicate that the association mapping approach is suitable for fine mapping of the complex traits in rapeseed and is consistent with previous studies of quantitative trait loci mapping.
Abstract: Association mapping can quickly and efficiently dissect complex agronomic traits. Rapeseed is one of the mosteconomically importantpolyploid oil crops, although itsgenomesequenceisnot yetpublished.Inthis study, a recently developed 60K Brassica Infinium w SNParray was used to analyse an association panel with 472 accessions. The single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) of the array werein silicomapped using ‘pseudomolecules’representativeofthegenomeofrapeseed toestablish theirhypotheticalorderandtoperform associationmappingofseedweightandseedquality.As aresult,twosignificant associationsonA8andC3of Brassica napus were detected for erucic acid content, and the peak SNPs were found to be only 233 and 128 kb away from the key genes BnaA.FAE1 andBnaC.FAE1. BnaA.FAE1was also identified to be significantly associatedwith theoilcontent.Orthologues ofArabidopsisthalianaHAG1wereidentifiedclose tofourclusters of SNPs associated with glucosinolate content on A9, C2, C7 and C9. For seed weight, we detected two association signals on A7 and A9, which were consistent with previous studies of quantitative trait loci mapping. The results indicate that our association mapping approach is suitable for fine mapping of the complex traits in rapeseed.

192 citations


Journal ArticleDOI
01 Jan 2014
TL;DR: Rapeseed production has undergone sustained growth over the past 20 years and rapeseed crushing has risen strongly, Europe being the major player in this expansion (development of biodiesel) followed to a lesser extent by Canada and China.
Abstract: Global rapeseed production has undergone sustained growth over the past 20 years. Having surpassed cottonseed production in the early 2000’s, it is now the second most produced oilseed behind soybeans. The major producers are China, India, Canada and European Union (27). During this same period, rapeseed crushing has risen strongly, Europe being the major player in this expansion (development of biodiesel) followed to a lesser extent by Canada and China. World exports of rapeseeds are dominated by Canada, by far the largest exporter. Japan is a traditional importer, while China and the EU (27) are less regular buyers. Although less spectacular than palm oil growth, rapeseed oil growth is also remarkable. Its consumption occurs mainly in the crushing countries, the EU being the principal consumer. Rapeseed meal is the second major oilseed meal produced worldwide (after soybean meal). It has been following broadly the same trends as seeds and oils, this evolution was marked a short period of stagnation in the early 2000’s. Consumption of rapeseed meal has grown strongly in the EU (which is deficient in protein feed), in China (due to its extraordinary economic development), and in the USA (due to milk producers’ demand for feed). The main exporters of rapeseed meals are Canada and India. Oilseed prices spiked in 2008 and since 2010 are remaining at historically high levels: whilst prices fell sharply following the 2013 harvest, they remain well above the lows of 2009. Rape seed meal, however, will remain a secondary meal with known drawbacks; there is little prospect of its price going higher than 65–70% of that of soybean meal.

143 citations


Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: A broad range of genetic variation was detected in the targeted genes for the different morphotypes, including non-synonymous SNPs, copy number variation and presence-absence variation, which suggest that this broad variation in vernalization, clock and signaling genes could be a key driver of morphological differentiation for flowering-related traits in this recent allopolyploid crop species.
Abstract: Flowering, the transition from the vegetative to the generative phase, is a decisive time point in the lifecycle of a plant. Flowering is controlled by a complex network of transcription factors, photoreceptors, enzymes and miRNAs. In recent years, several studies gave rise to the hypothesis that this network is also strongly involved in the regulation of other important lifecycle processes ranging from germination and seed development through to fundamental developmental and yield-related traits. In the allopolyploid crop species Brassica napus, (genome AACC), homoeologous copies of flowering time regulatory genes are implicated in major phenological variation within the species, however the extent and control of intraspecific and intergenomic variation among flowering-time regulators is still unclear. To investigate differences among B. napus morphotypes in relation to flowering-time gene variation, we performed targeted deep sequencing of 29 regulatory flowering-time genes in four genetically and phenologically diverse B. napus accessions. The genotype panel included a winter-type oilseed rape, a winter fodder rape, a spring-type oilseed rape (all B. napus ssp. napus) and a swede (B. napus ssp. napobrassica), which show extreme differences in winter-hardiness, vernalization requirement and flowering behaviour. A broad range of genetic variation was detected in the targeted genes for the different morphotypes, including non-synonymous SNPs, copy number variation and presence-absence variation. The results suggest that this broad variation in vernalisation, clock and signaling genes could be a key driver of morphological differentiation for flowering-related traits in this recent allopolyploid crop species.

83 citations


Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: The present results are of value for ongoing efforts to breed rapeseed with high oil content, and alignment of the QTL makes an important contribution to the development of an integrative system for genetic studies of rapeseed.
Abstract: This report describes an integrative analysis of seed-oil-content quantitative trait loci (QTL) in Brassica napus , using a high-density genetic map to align QTL among different populations. Rapeseed (Brassica napus) is an important source of edible oil and sustainable energy. Given the challenge involved in using only a few genes to substantially increase the oil content of rapeseed without affecting the fatty acid composition, exploitation of a greater number of genetic loci that regulate the oil content variation among rapeseed germplasm is of fundamental importance. In this study, we investigated variation in the seed-oil content among two related genetic populations of Brassica napus, the TN double-haploid population and its derivative reconstructed-F2 population. Each population was grown in multiple experiments under different environmental conditions. Mapping of quantitative trait loci (QTL) identified 41 QTL in the TN populations. Furthermore, of the 20 pairs of epistatic interaction loci detected, approximately one-third were located within the QTL intervals. The use of common markers on different genetic maps and the TN genetic map as a reference enabled us to project QTL from an additional three genetic populations onto the TN genetic map. In summary, we used the TN genetic map of the B. napus genome to identify 46 distinct QTL regions that control seed-oil content on 16 of the 19 linkage groups of B. napus. Of these, 18 were each detected in multiple populations. The present results are of value for ongoing efforts to breed rapeseed with high oil content, and alignment of the QTL makes an important contribution to the development of an integrative system for genetic studies of rapeseed.

74 citations


Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: The present results highlight the importance of considering varietal differences in crop pollination research and information on the pollination requirements of crop varieties is required by farmers to optimize management decisions in a world of increasing agropollination deficits.
Abstract: Winter oilseed rape (Brassica napus) is an important crop for human consumption and biofuel production and its production is increasing worldwide. It is generally assumed that cross-pollination by insects increases oilseed rape yield but testing of this has been restricted to a few rapeseed varieties and produced varying results. The present study determines whether cross-pollination benefits a number of oilseed rape varieties by comparing yield in the presence and absence of insects. Four rapeseed varieties (Sherlock, Traviata, Treffer and Visby) were used with ten individuals each in four pollination treatments: (1) supplementary hand-pollination, (2) open pollination with insects able to access the flowers, (3) wind pollination and (4) autonomous self-pollination. Across all four varieties, open and supplementary hand-pollination treatments resulted in higher fruit set, numbers of seeds per pod and seed yield compared with wind and self-pollination. The cross-pollination benefits, however, differed among rapeseed varieties: Treffer and Visby had a higher dependence on open (insects) and supplementary cross-pollination than Sherlock and Traviata. Across all four varieties, seed weight compensated for reduced fruit set and was highest when plants were self-pollinated. The present results highlight the importance of considering varietal differences in crop pollination research. Information on the pollination requirements of crop varieties is required by farmers to optimize management decisions in a world of increasing agropollination deficits.

67 citations


Journal ArticleDOI
Wei Su1, Jianwei Lu1, Weini Wang1, Xiaokun Li1, Tao Ren1, Rihuan Cong1 
TL;DR: Rice straw mulching has the potential to enhance the productivity of winter oilseed rape, even though some changes in method of topdressing fertilizer N may be needed to avoid negative effects of Straw mulching.

67 citations


Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: The results suggest screening rice cultivars with lower Cd accumulation can assure the food safety; the mobilization of heavy metals by roots of different plant species should be considered during crop rotation to assure food safety.

58 citations


Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: It is demonstrated that single point-mutations in BnFT and BnTFL1 paralogs have effects on flowering time despite the redundancy of the rapeseed genome, and pleiotropic effects of Bn tfl1-2 par analogs beyond the regulation of flowering time are suggested.
Abstract: Rapeseed (Brassica napus L.) is grown in different geographical regions of the world. It is adapted to different environments by modification of flowering time and requirement for cold. A broad variation exists from very early-flowering spring-type to late-flowering winter cultivars which only flower after exposure to an extended cold period. B. napus is an allopolyploid species which resulted from the hybridization between B. rapa and B. oleracea. In Arabidopsis thaliana, the PEBP-domain genes FLOWERING LOCUS-T (FT) and TERMINAL FLOWER-1 (TFL1) are important integrators of different flowering pathways. Six FT and four TFL1 paralogs have been identified in B. napus. However, their role in flowering time control is unknown. We identified EMS mutants of the B. napus winter-type inbreed line Express 617. In total, 103 mutant alleles have been determined for BnC6FTb, BnC6FTa, and BnTFL1-2 paralogs. We chose three non-sense and fifteen missense mutant lines (M3) which were grown in the greenhouse. Although only two out of 6 FT paralogs were mutated, six out of eight BnC6FTb mutant lines flowered later as the control, whereas all five BnC6FTa mutant lines started flowering as the non-mutated parent. Mutations within the BnTFL1-2 paralog had no large effects on flowering time but on yield components. F1 hybrids between BnTFL1-2 mutants and non-mutated parents had increased seed number per pod and total seeds per plant suggesting that heterozygous mutations in a TFL1 paralog may impact heterosis in rapeseed. We demonstrate that single point-mutations in BnFT and BnTFL1 paralogs have effects on flowering time despite the redundancy of the rapeseed genome. Moreover, our results suggest pleiotropic effects of BnTFL1 paralogs beyond the regulation of flowering time.

58 citations


Journal ArticleDOI
01 Aug 2014-Energy
TL;DR: In this article, the effects of altering the feedstock oil and alcohol type used in biodiesel production on engine performance (power, economy) and exhaust emissions (O2, CO (carbon monoxide), CO2, NO) were investigated.

50 citations


Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In conclusion, AA digestibility is not different between canola meal and 00-rapeseed meal, but 00-Rapeseed expellers have greater digestibility of most AA than 00-rapedeed meal.
Abstract: The digestibility of CP and AA by growing pigs in coproducts from canola and 00-rapeseed may be influenced by the variety of seeds that was grown and the processing method used to extract the oil from the seeds. Therefore, the objective of this experiment was to determine the apparent ileal digestibility (AID) and the standardized ileal digestibility (SID) of CP and AA in canola meal, 00-rapeseed meal, and 00-rapeseed expellers fed to growing pigs. Canola meal and 00-rapeseed meal are the coproducts produced after the residual oil has been solvent extracted from canola seeds and 00-rapeseeds, respectively, whereas 00-rapeseed expellers is the coproduct from 00-rapeseeds that have been only expeller pressed. Twenty-three barrows (initial BW: 28.8 ± 2.64 kg) that had a T-cannula installed in the distal ileum were allotted to a 9 × 23 Youden square design with 9 periods and 23 dietary treatments. The 23 diets included 7 diets based on the 7 samples of canola meal, 10 diets based on the 10 samples of 00-rapeseed meal, 5 diets based on the 5 samples of 00-rapeseed expellers, and a N-free diet. Each source of canola or rapeseed coproducts was used as the only source of CP and AA in 1 diet. The SID of CP and all AA except Val, Cys, and Glu were not different between canola meal and 00-rapeseed meal, but 00-rapeseed expellers had greater (P < 0.01) SID of CP and all AA except Thr, Trp, and Gly than 00-rapeseed meal, which possibly is due to heat damage in 00-rapeseed meal. For Lys, Met, Thr, and Trp, SID values of 70.6%, 84.5%, 73.0%, and 82.6%, and 71.9%, 84.6%, 72.6%, and 82.6% were obtained in canola meal and rapeseed meal, respectively, whereas values in 00-rapeseed expellers were 74.7%, 87.1%, 74.0%, and 83.4%. The SID for most AA was different (P < 0.05) among the 7 sources of canola meal, among the 10 sources of 00-rapeseed meal, and among the 5 sources of 00-rapeseed expellers. The concentration of standardized ileal digestible indispensable AA in canola and 00-rapeseed coproducts can be predicted from the concentration of the corresponding AA with only a low to moderate correlation (r(2) = 0.206 to 0.655). In conclusion, AA digestibility is not different between canola meal and 00-rapeseed meal, but 00-rapeseed expellers have greater digestibility of most AA than 00-rapeseed meal. Prediction equations may not always adequately estimate the concentration of indispensable AA and standardized ileal digestible indispensable AA in canola and 00-rapeseed coproducts.

49 citations


Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this article, the effect of different steps in both chemical and physical refining process on tocopherol contents of several vegetable oils (sunflower oil, corn oil, rapeseed oil, soybean oil, olive oil and refined-bleached-deodorized (RBD) palm oil) was investigated.
Abstract: In this study, the effect of different steps in both chemical and physical refining process on tocopherol contents of several vegetable oils (sunflower oil, corn oil, rapeseed oil, soybean oil, olive oil and refined-bleached-deodorized (RBD) palm oil) was investigated. The most commonly tocopherols found in vegetable oils were α- and γ-tocopherols. Soybean contains 1328 mg/kg tocopherol, which is highest among plant oils. Total tocopherol contents gradually decreased until the end of the refining processes in all oil types. The content of α-, β-, γ- and δ-tocopherols also decreased during refining. These significant losses occurred especially after the deodorizing stage.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: It is shown that a cultivar of oilseed rape with lower than usual PUFA content has non-functional alleles at three of the four orthologous FAD2 loci, confirming the hypothesised basis of variation and resulting in an allelic series of mutant lines showing a spectrum of PUFA contents of seed oil.
Abstract: Many important plant species have polyploidy in their recent ancestry, complicating inferences about the genetic basis of trait variation. Although the principal locus controlling the proportion of polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) in seeds of Arabidopsis thaliana is known (fatty acid desaturase 2; FAD2), commercial cultivars of a related crop, oilseed rape (Brassica napus), with very low PUFA content have yet to be developed. We showed that a cultivar of oilseed rape with lower than usual PUFA content has non-functional alleles at three of the four orthologous FAD2 loci. To explore the genetic basis further, we developed an ethyl methanesulphonate mutagenised population, JBnaCAB_E, and used it to identify lines that also carried mutations in the remaining functional copy. This confirmed the hypothesised basis of variation, resulting in an allelic series of mutant lines showing a spectrum of PUFA contents of seed oil. Several lines had PUFA content of ~6 % and oleic acid content of ~84 %, achieving a long-standing industry objective: very high oleic, very low PUFA rapeseed without the use of genetic modification technology. The population contains a high rate of mutations and represents an important resource for research in B. napus.

Journal ArticleDOI
Yanlin Shao1, Jinjin Jiang1, Liping Ran1, Chunliang Lu1, Cunxu Wei1, Youping Wang1 
TL;DR: Crude phenolic compounds extracted from rapeseed were subjected to column chromatography, alkaline hydrolysis, and HPLC-PDA-ESI(-)-MS(n)/HRMS analysis and enriches the knowledge of the phenolic composition of rapeseed and provides a reliable guide for the selection of rapesseed with valuable breeding potential.
Abstract: A comprehensive description of flavonoids and hydroxycinnamic acid derivatives in Brassica napus L. var. napus seeds is important to improve rapeseed quality. HPLC-PDA-ESI(-)-MS(n)/HRMS has been broadly applied to study phenolic compounds in plants. In the present study, crude phenolic compounds extracted from rapeseed were subjected to column chromatography, alkaline hydrolysis, and HPLC-PDA-ESI(-)-MS(n)/HRMS analysis. A total of 91 flavonoids and hydroxycinnamic acid derivatives were detected, including 39 kaempferol derivatives, 11 isorhamnetin derivatives, 5 quercetin derivatives, 6 flavanols and their oligomers, and 30 hydroxycinnamic acid derivatives. A total of 78 of these compounds were tentatively identified; of these, 55 were reported for the first time in B. napus L. var. napus and 24 were detected for the first time in the genus Brassica. This research enriches our knowledge of the phenolic composition of rapeseed and provides a reliable guide for the selection of rapeseed with valuable breeding potential.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: The results demonstrate significant potential for high livestock production and high grain and oil yield from dual-purpose winter canola in high-rainfall environments.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: It is shown that Crambe seeds have very low phosphatidylcholine-diacylglycerol interconversion, suggesting it to be the main reason why erucic acid is limited in the membrane lipids during oil biosynthesis.
Abstract: Erucic acid is a valuable industrial fatty acid with many applications. The main producers of this acid are today high erucic rapeseed (Brassica napus) and mustard (Brassica juncea), which have 45%-50% of erucic acid in their seed oils. Crambe abyssinica is an alternative promising producer of this acid as it has 55%-60% of erucic acid in its oil. Through genetic modification (GM) of three genes, we have previously increased the level of erucic acid to 71% (68 mol%) in Crambe seed oil. In this study, we further investigated different aspects of oil biosynthesis in the developing GM Crambe seeds in comparison with wild-type (Wt) Crambe, rapeseed and safflower (Carthamus tinctorius). We show that Crambe seeds have very low phosphatidylcholine-diacylglycerol interconversion, suggesting it to be the main reason why erucic acid is limited in the membrane lipids during oil biosynthesis. We further show that GM Crambe seeds have slower seed development than Wt, accompanied by slower oil accumulation during the first 20 days after flowering (DAF). Despite low accumulation of erucic acid during early stages of GM seed development, nearly 86 mol% of all fatty acids accumulated between 27 and 50 DAF was erucic acid, when 40% of the total oil is laid down. Likely bottlenecks in the accumulation of erucic acid during early stages of GM Crambe seed development are discussed.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: The developed RS lines may be useful for rapeseed breeding not only for subtropical regions, but also for areas such as Canada and Europe where spring rapeseed production can suffer from late spring frosts.
Abstract: Brassica napus is a leading oilseed crop throughout many parts of the world. It is well adapted to long day photoperiods, however, it does not adapt well to short day subtropical regions. Short duration B. napus plants were resynthesized through ovary culture from interspecific crosses in which B. rapa cultivars were reciprocally crossed with B. oleracea. From five different combinations, 17 hybrid plants were obtained in both directions. By self-pollinating the F1 hybrids or introgressing them with cultivated B. napus, resynthesized (RS) F3 and semi-resynthesized (SRS) F2 generations were produced, respectively. In field trial in Bangladesh, the RS B. napus plants demonstrated variation in days to first flowering ranging from 29 to 73 days; some of which were similar to cultivated short duration B. napus, but not cultivated short duration B. rapa. The RS and SRS B. napus lines produced 2-4.6 and 1.6-3.7 times higher yields, respectively, as compared to cultivated short duration B. napus. Our developed RS lines may be useful for rapeseed breeding not only for subtropical regions, but also for areas such as Canada and Europe where spring rapeseed production can suffer from late spring frosts. Yield and earliness in RS lines are discussed.

Journal ArticleDOI
Jianlei Wang1, Zhemin Liu1, Yue Wang1, Wen Cheng1, Haijin Mou1 
TL;DR: Solid-state fermentation by using Bacillus subtilis strain N-2 to produce a water-soluble fertilizer containing amino acids offers a value-added use of soybean meal.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: High-quality simple sequence repeat markers were screened and used to estimate the genetic base of a world-wide collection of 248 rapeseed (Brassica napus) inbred lines, and more allelic variations and a higher genetic diversity were observed in B. oleracea than in rapeseed.
Abstract: Assessing the level of genetic diversity within a germplasm collection contributes to evaluating the potential for its utilization as a gene pool to improve the performance of cultivars. In this study, 45 high-quality simple sequence repeat (SSR) markers were screened and used to estimate the genetic base of a world-wide collection of 248 rapeseed (Brassica napus) inbred lines. For the whole collection, the genetic diversity of A genome was higher than that of C genome. The genetic diversity of C genome for the semi-winter type was the lowest among the different germplasm types. Because B. oleracea is usually used to broaden the genetic diversity of C genome in rapeseed, we evaluated the potential of 25 wild B. oleracea lines. More allelic variations and a higher genetic diversity were observed in B. oleracea than in rapeseed. One B. oleracea line and one oilseed B. rapa line were used to generate a resynthesized Brassica napus line, which was then crossed with six semi-winter rapeseed cultivars to produce 7 F1 hybrids. Not only the allele introgression but also mutations were observed in the hybrids, resulting in significant improvement of the genetic base.

Journal ArticleDOI
02 Dec 2014-PLOS ONE
TL;DR: Feral GM plants most frequently occurred at unloading sites for ships, indicating that ship cargo traffic is the main entry pathway for GM oilseed rape.
Abstract: Despite cultivation and seed import bans of genetically modified (GM) oilseed rape (Brassica napus L.), feral GM plants were found growing along railway lines and in port areas at four sites in Switzerland in 2011 and 2012. All GM plants were identified as glyphosate-resistant GM event GT73 (Roundup Ready, Monsanto). The most affected sites were the Rhine port of Basel and the St. Johann freight railway station in Basel. To assess the distribution and intra- and interspecific outcrossing of GM oilseed rape in more detail, we monitored these two sites in 2013. Leaves and seed pods of feral oilseed rape plants, their possible hybridization partners and putative hybrid plants were sampled in monthly intervals and analysed for the presence of transgenes by real-time PCR. Using flow cytometry, we measured DNA contents of cell nuclei to confirm putative hybrids. In total, 2787 plants were sampled. The presence of GT73 oilseed rape could be confirmed at all previously documented sampling locations and was additionally detected at one new sampling location within the Rhine port. Furthermore, we found the glufosinate-resistant GM events MS8xRF3, MS8 and RF3 (all traded as InVigor, Bayer) at five sampling locations in the Rhine port. To our knowledge, this is the first time that feral MS8xRF3, MS8 or RF3 plants were detected in Europe. Real-time PCR analyses of seeds showed outcrossing of GT73 into two non-GM oilseed rape plants, but no outcrossing of transgenes into related wild species was observed. We found no hybrids between oilseed rape and related species. GM plants most frequently occurred at unloading sites for ships, indicating that ship cargo traffic is the main entry pathway for GM oilseed rape. In the future, it will be of major interest to determine the source of GM oilseed rape seeds.

Journal ArticleDOI
31 Oct 2014-PLOS ONE
TL;DR: The results obtained from this study demonstrate the potential of direct utilization of low cost rapeseed meal as a nitrogen source for commercial production of iturin A and other secondary metabolites by Bacillus subtilis.
Abstract: The feasibility of using untreated rapeseed meal as a nitrogen source for iturin A production by Bacillus subtilis 3–10 in submerged fermentation was first evaluated by comparison with two different commercial nitrogen sources of peptone and ammonium nitrate. A significant promoting effect of rapeseed meal on iturin A production was observed and the maximum iturin A concentration of 0.60 g/L was reached at 70 h, which was 20% and 8.0 fold higher than that produced from peptone and ammonium nitrate media, respectively. It was shown that rapeseed meal had a positive induction effect on protease secretion, contributing to the release of soluble protein from low water solubility solid rapeseed meal for an effective supply of available nitrogen during fermentation. Moreover, compared to raw rapeseed meal, the remaining residue following fermentation could be used as a more suitable supplementary protein source for animal feed because of the great decrease of major anti-nutritional components including sinapine, glucosinolate and its degradation products of isothiocyanate and oxazolidine thione. The results obtained from this study demonstrate the potential of direct utilization of low cost rapeseed meal as a nitrogen source for commercial production of iturin A and other secondary metabolites by Bacillus subtilis.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: The data suggest that the introgression of genetic components of B. oleracea can expand the genetic variation and improve the heterotic potential of rapeseed.
Abstract: The large natural variation existing in Brassica oleracea offers a promising approach to improving B. napus (rapeseed). However, the cytogenetic and genetic characterizations of the interspecific hybridization between B. napus and B. oleracea remain poorly understood. Here, the chromosome behavior of F1 triploid hybrids between B. napus and B. oleracea was observed. Various chromosome pairings in pollen mother cells at diakinesis were found with the predominant configuration of 9II + 10I. The segregation pattern of 9:19 had the highest frequency relative to theoretical distribution estimated at anaphase I. Although the fertility was poor in the F1 generation, it recovered to normal levels in only a few generations. Additionally, B. napus-like individuals in the F3 and F4 generations, referred as new-type rapeseed, showed diverse genetic variation relative to current B. napus and strong heterotic potential. Accordingly, a significantly positive correlation between the introgressed B. oleracea genomic components and heterosis was observed in hybrids made with the new-type rapeseed lines. Our data suggest that the introgression of genetic components of B. oleracea can expand the genetic variation and improve the heterotic potential of rapeseed.

Journal ArticleDOI
17 Dec 2014-PLOS ONE
TL;DR: The results suggest that increasing the planting density within certain range is a feasible approach for higher seed yield in winter rapeseed in China.
Abstract: Rapeseed is one of the most important edible oil crops in the world and the seed yield has lagged behind the increasing demand driven by population growth. Winter oilseed rape (Brassica napus L.) is widely cultivated with relatively low yield in China, so it is necessary to find the strategies to improve the expression of yield potential. Planting density has great effects on seed yield of crops. Hence, field experiments were conducted in Wuhan in the Yangtze River basin with one conventional variety (Zhongshuang 11, ZS11) and one hybrid variety (Huayouza 9, HYZ9) at five planting densities (27.0×104, 37.5×104, 48.0×104, 58.5×104, 69.0×104 plants ha–1) during 2010–2012 to investigate the yield components. The physiological traits for high-yield and normal-yield populations were measured during 2011–2013. Our results indicated that planting densities of 58.5×104 plants ha–1 in ZS11 and 48.0×104 plants ha–1 in HYZ9 have significantly higher yield compared with the density of 27.0×104 plants ha–1for both varieties. The ideal silique numbers for ZS11 and HYZ9 were ∼0.9×104 (n m–2) and ∼1×104 (n m-2), respectively, and ideal primary branches for ZS11 and HYZ9 were ∼250 (n m–2) and ∼300 (n m–2), respectively. The highest leaf area index (LAI) and silique wall area index (SAI) was ∼5.0 and 7.0, respectively. Moreover, higher leaf net photosynthetic rate (Pn) and water use efficiency (WUE) were observed in the high-yield populations. A significantly higher level of silique wall photosynthesis and rapid dry matter accumulation were supposed to result in the maximum seed yield. Our results suggest that increasing the planting density within certain range is a feasible approach for higher seed yield in winter rapeseed in China.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: It is concluded that photomorphogenic signals are integrated early during the vegetative growth, and irradiance has stronger effects than R/FR signals at rapeseed crop level.
Abstract: Early shade signals promote the shade avoidance syndrome (SAS) which causes, among others, petiole and shoot elongation and upward leaf position. In spite of its relevance, these photomorphogenic responses have not been deeply studied in rapeseed (Brassica napus). In contrast to other crops like maize and wheat, rapeseed has a complex developmental phenotypic pattern as it evolves from an initial rosette to the main stem elongation and an indeterminate growth of floral raceme. In this work, we analyzed (1) morphological and physiological responses at individual level due to low red/far-red (R/FR) ratio during plant development, and (2) changes in biomass allocation, grain yield and composition at crop level in response to high R/FR ratio and low irradiance in two modern spring rapeseed genotypes. We carried out pot and field experiments modifying R/FR ratios and irradiance at vegetative or reproductive stages. In pot experiments, low R/FR ratio increased the petiole and lamina length, upward leaf position and also accelerated leaf senescence. Furthermore, low R/FR ratio reduced main floral raceme and increased floral branching with higher remobilization of soluble carbohydrates from the stems. In field experiments, low irradiance during post-flowering reduced grain yield, harvest index and grain oil content, and high R/FR ratio reaching the crop partially alleviated such effects. We conclude that photomorphogenic signals are integrated early during the vegetative growth, and irradiance has stronger effects than R/FR signals at rapeseed crop level.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: It is suggested that canola breeders may use NDVI to objectively select for vigorous genotypes that are more likely to have higher grain yields.
Abstract: Early crop vigour in canola, as in other crops, is likely to result in greater competition with weeds, more rapid canopy closure, improved nutrient acquisition, improved water-use efficiency, and, potentially, greater final grain yield. Laborious measurements of crop biomass over time can be replaced with newer remote-sensing technology to aid data acquisition. Normalised difference vegetation index (NDVI) is a surrogate for biomass accumulation that can be recorded rapidly and repeatedly with inexpensive equipment. In seven small-plot field experiments conducted over a 4-year period with diverse canola germplasm (n = 105), we have shown that NDVI measures are well correlated with final grain yield. We found NDVI values were most correlated with yield (r >0.7) if readings were taken when the crop had received 210–320 growing degree-days (usually the mid-vegetative phase of growth). It is suggested that canola breeders may use NDVI to objectively select for vigorous genotypes that are more likely to have higher grain yields.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: Jankowski et al. as mentioned in this paper evaluated the effect of sulfur application to soil on the concentrations of copper, zinc and manganese in the root residues, straw and oil cake of winter and spring rapeseed.
Abstract: Sulfur application has a significant effect on the yield of oil bearing plants of the family Brassicaceae, especially when the sulfur content of soil is low. Sulfur fertilization also affects the value of plant raw materials, reflected by the concentrations of mineral and biologically active compounds in biomass. The aim of this study was to determine the effect of sulfur application to soil on the concentrations of copper, zinc and manganese in the root residues, straw and oil cake of winter and spring rapeseed. A three-year (2005-2008) field experiment was conducted at the Agricultural Experimentation Station in Bałcyny (NE Poland). In both spring and winter rapeseed, oil cake contained the highest levels of copper and zinc, followed by root residues and straw. The highest concentrations of manganese per kg dry matter (DM) were found in the root residues of winter rapeseed and in the cake of spring rapeseed. The concentrations of micronutrients (Cu, Zn, Mn) were slightly higher in the roots of winter rapeseed, compared with spring rapeseed. Sulfur fertilization decreased copper levels and increased manganese levels in the root residues of spring and winter rapeseed. Sulfur application to soil increased zinc concentrations in winter rapeseed roots, and it had no significant influence on the zinc content of spring rapeseed roots. Spring rapeseed straw contained considerably higher levels of zinc and manganese than winter rapeseed straw. The copper content of dr hab. Krzysztof Jankowski, Chair of Agrotechnology and Crop Management, University of Warmia and Mazury in Olsztyn, 8 Oczapowskiego Street, 10-719 Olsztyn, Poland, e-mail: krzysztof.jankowski@uwm.edu.pl * The results presented in this paper were obtained as part of a comprehensive study financed by the Ministry of Science and Higher Education (grant No. N310 031 32/167), titled Multi-criteria evaluation of the forecrop quality of oil-bearing plants grown as energy crops for winter wheat.

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TL;DR: The results suggest that zy036 silique wall, 6F313 seed coat, and 61616 embryo have positive impacts on the seed oil accumulation, and three organ-specific mechanisms regulating oil synthesis in rapeseed.

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Y. X. Luo1, C. Y. Luo1, Dezhi Du1, Z. Fu1, Yanmei Yao1, C. C. Xu1, H. S. Zhang1 
TL;DR: Identification of the chromosomal location and effect of the genes influencing flowering time may hasten the development of canola varieties having an optimal time for flowering in target environments such as for high altitude areas, via marker-assisted selection.
Abstract: The inheritance of flowering time trait in spring-type rapeseed (Brassica napus L.) is poorly understood, and the investigations on mapping of quantitative trait loci (QTL) for the trait are only few. We identified QTL underlying variation for flowering time in a doubled haploid (DH) mapping population of nonvernalization-responsive canola (B. napus L.) cultivar 465 and line 86 containing introgressions from Houyou11, a Chinese early-flowering cultivar in Brassica rapa L. Significant genetic variation in flowering time and response to photoperiod were observed among the DH lines from 465/86. A molecular linkage map was generated comprising three types of markers loci. QTL analysis indicated that flowering time is a complex trait and is controlled by at least 4 major loci, localized on four different linkage groups A6, A7, C8 and C9. These loci each accounted for between 9.2 and 12.56 % of the total genotypic variation for first flowering. The published high-density maps for flowering time mapping used different marker systems, and the parents of our crosses have different genetic origins, with either spring-type B. napus or B. rapa. So we cannot determine whether the QTL on the same linkage groups were in the same region or not. There was evidence of additive × additive epistatic effects for flowering time in the DH population. Epistasis existed not only between main-effect QTLs, but also between QTLs with minor effects. Four pair of epistasis effects between minor QTLs explained about 20 % of the genetic variance observed in the DH population. The results indicated that minor QTLs for flowering time should not be ignored. Significant genotypes × environment interactions were also found for the quantitative traits, and with significant change in the ranking of the DH lines in different environments. The results implied that FQ3 was a non-environment-specific QTL and may control flowering time by autonomous pathway. FQ4 were winter-environment-specific QTL and may control flowering time by photoperiod-pathway. Identification of the chromosomal location and effect of the genes influencing flowering time may hasten the development of canola varieties having an optimal time for flowering in target environments such as for high altitude areas, via marker-assisted selection.


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TL;DR: In this article, the authors evaluated the energy input and output for winter rapeseed cultivation and biodiesel production from rapeseed oil, and the average rapeseed and straw yield were 2144.4 kg and 1154.6 kg per hectare cultivated area.
Abstract: The objective of this study was to evaluate the energy input and output for winter rapeseed cultivation and biodiesel production from rapeseed oil. The total energy use for winter rapeseed cultivation and biodiesel production proceses were 10485.04 MJ/ha and 9199.48 MJ/ha, respectively. The total energy inputs for winter rapeseed cultivation were consisted of 2599.15 MJ/ha direct energy input and 7885.89 MJ/ha indirect energy input. The total energy input was calculated as 4889.66 MJ/t for winter rapeseed cultivation. The average rapeseed and straw yield were 2144.4 kg and 1154.6 kg per hectare cultivated area, respectively. The energy output of rapeseed 56826.6 MJ/ha, if only the seed was taken into account. The output/input ratio for rapeseed cultivation was 7.30 if straw was included. The net energy production was calculated as 66085.22 MJ per hectare of cultivated area. The total energy input was 19684.52 MJ/ha for rapeseed biodiesel production. The energy consumed for the conversion of refined rapese...

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TL;DR: AMF colonization is not determined by AMF spore density alone, and other factors influence the AMF colonization in subsequent soybean plants, so it is important to increase the AMf colonization ratio to increase soybean yield.
Abstract: We evaluated how the cultivation of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) host (wheat) and non-host (rapeseed) crops affects the subsequent soybean crop by assessing AMF spore density and AMF colonization, phosphorus (P) uptake by soybean and yields of soybean over a 4-year period. Every year wheat or rapeseed was cultivated from autumn to spring and soybean from spring to autumn. From the first to fourth year, AMF spore density was higher in the plot after the cultivation of wheat (wheat plot) than in the rapeseed plot. From the second to fourth year, the AMF colonization ratio was higher in the wheat plot than in the rapeseed plot. In the first year, there was no difference in the AMF colonization ratio, growth, and P uptake by soybean plants between the rapeseed plot and wheat plot. However, from the second to fourth year, AMF colonization ratio, plant growth, and P uptake by soybean in the wheat plot were higher than those in the rapeseed plot. The soybean yields in both plots gradually decreased...