MOLECULAR MARKERS FOR LOW-GLUCOSINOLATE ALLELES IN OILSEED RAPE (BRASSICA-NAPUS L)

Two recent studies have mapped QTLs associated with the level of seed glucosinolates in oilseed rape (Brassica napus L.). It was likely that the two most significant QTLs identified in each study were the same, as they were linked to RFLP alleles identified by common DNA probes, To investigate the utility of these probes in breeding programmes, the y were used to study RFLPs in a range of low- and high-glucosinolate c ultivars and breeding lines. It was shown that all low glucosinolate s pring and winter cultivars possessed a specific RFLP fragment identifi ed by probe wg3f7 which is linked to the GSL-1 QTL, and all high-gluco sinolate cultivars possessed a specific RFLP fragment identified by pr obe wg7a8, which is linked to the GSL-2 QTL. Cultivar Ariana, which ha s intermediate levels of glucosinolates possessed the low-glucosinolat e fragment at GSL-1 but the high-glucosinolate fragment at GSL-2. A si milar result was found with the cvs. Martina and Bronowski which have intermediate and variable levels of glucosinolates. There were no othe r RFLP fragments identified by other DNA probes which were specific to either the low- or high-glucosinolate phenotypes. The use of probes w g3f7 and wg7a8 in selection of low-glucosinolate lines in breeding pro grammes is discussed.