EARLINESS AND LATENESS OF FLOWERING IN MATTHIOLA-INCANA, AND THEIR RELATIONSHIP TO OIL QUANTITY OF MATURE SEEDS

Seeds of early-, middle- and late-flowering breeding lines of common s tock, Matthiola incana (L.) R. Br. cultivated under field conditions, were evaluated for their fatty acid compositions. Seeds of early-flowe ring breeding lines accumulated less linolenic acid (C 18:3) and more oleic acid (C 18:1) than those of late-flowering breeding lines harves ted at the same time. Yield parameters, such as number of seeds per po d and number of pods per plant were lower in early-flowering breeding lines than in the late-flowering ones. However, under a controlled-tem perature regime, the fatty acid compositions of all breeding lines wer e affected by temperature in the same manner: higher linolenic acid le vels and lower oleic acid levels were observed in seeds which develope d at lower temperatures (12-17 degrees C).