INHERITANCE OF FATTY ACID COMPOSITION IN WINTER FORMS OF RAPESEED, BRASSICA NAPUS

The transfer of the zero erucic acid characteristic from spring to winter rapeseed (Brassica napus L.) and the identification of a new allele determining the erucic acid level in rapeseed oil are reported. Fatty acid analysis of F2 seed from the cross zero × low (7%) erucic acid winter rapeseed parents supported the hypothesis that, in these strains, one gene pair governs the level of erucic acid, and that each, allele contributes approximately 3.5% erucic and 6% eicosenoic acid to the seed oil. Gene action is similar to other alleles in this series, in that the genes display no dominance and act in an additive manner. The long-chain fatty acids, erucic and eicosenoic, were each significantly negatively correlated with the 18 carbon fatty acids, oleic and linoleic. Within each of the three F2 genotypes, correlation coefficients between oleic and linoleic were also negative and significant.