INTERGENERIC HYBRIDIZATION BETWEEN SINAPIS-ALBA AND BRASSICA-NAPUS

Researchers have conclusively shown that Sinapis alba (commonly known as yellow mustard) has many agronomic traits which would be beneficial if transferred to rapeseed (Brassica napus L.). S. alba is resistant or tolerant to all major insect pests of Brassica crops in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States of America. It is also tolerant of high temperatures and drought stress, is shatter resistant and cap able of high seed yield without the need for insecticides and herbicid es. However, S. alba is considerably lower in oil content and lacks th e high oil quality and seed meal quality of rapeseed (i.e. canola). Th is paper describes a combination of ovary culture and embryo rescue te chniques used to develop fertile hybrid plants from the intergeneric c ross between S. alba and B. napus. The hybrids were intermediate betwe en both parents for presence of trichomes, leaf shape and color, seed size, pod shape, and seed oil content; showing expression of traits fr om both parental species. Hybrid plant tissue and seed contained all t ypes of glucosinolate that exists in either B. napus or S. alba, at th e same or higher level to the parental species. These hybrid crosses o ffer the potential for combining the desirable oil and glucosinolate q ualities of B. napus with insect and disease resistance characters of S. alba.