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RESEARCH ARTICLE

Potential of increasing yield of spring Brassica napus canola by using Brassica rapa gene pool with emphasis on yellow sarson

Berisso Kebede A , Gholamreza Habibi A and Habibur Rahman https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6736-6520 A *
+ Author Affiliations
- Author Affiliations

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

* Correspondence to: habibur.rahman@ualberta.ca

Handling Editor: Marta Santalla

Crop & Pasture Science 75, CP23307 https://doi.org/10.1071/CP23307
Submitted: 11 November 2023  Accepted: 24 April 2024  Published: 21 May 2024

© 2024 The Author(s) (or their employer(s)). Published by CSIRO Publishing

Abstract

Context

Broadening the genetic base of canola (Brassica napus) is needed to develop improved hybrid cultivars. Wide genetic diversity is present in its parental species B. rapa and B. oleracea. In the case of B. rapa, the yellow sarson type from Asia is genetically distinct from all other types.

Aims

The objective of this research was to investigate the prospect of using yellow sarson to improve the performance of hybrid canola cultivars.

Methods

Inbred B. napus canola lines derived from an B. napus × B. rapa interspecific cross, and their F1 hybrids with the B. napus parent, as a tester, were compared on agronomic and seed quality traits; the inbreds were also evaluated for genetic diversity by using molecular markers.

Key results

Seed yield of the hybrids was significantly greater than the inbreds and the B. napus parent and exhibited more than 15% mid-parent heterosis (MPH). Genetic diversity did not show significant correlation with seed yield in the inbred population; however, it showed a positive correlation with MPH. Inbred yield as well as MPH showed a positive correlation with hybrid yield. For other traits, the performance of the inbreds showed a significant positive correlation with the performance of the hybrids; the average MPH for these traits was low or close to zero.

Conclusions

The yellow sarson gene pool showed great potential for use in the breeding of hybrid canola.

Implications

The knowledge gained and germplasm developed from this research can be used by breeders and researchers to develop improved canola cultivars.

Keywords: B. napus, B. rapa, canola, genetic diversity, heterosis, interspecific cross, seed yield, yellow sarson.

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