INHERITANCE OF ERUCIC AND EICOSENOIC ACID CONTENT OF RAPESEED OIL (BRASSICA NAPUS)

Abstract

Parental, F1 and F1 back cross populations derived from 3 strains of rape, 2 with seed oils practically free from erucic acid and 1 with high content of this component, were used to study the inheritance of fatty acid components of the oil. Lack of transgressive segregation in all progeny from crosses between the 2 different strains with seed oils practically free from erucic acid indicated that common loci were involved in both strains. In crosses involving high and low erucic acid content, the inheritance of both erucic acid and eicosenoic acid was conditioned by the same 2-gene-pair system. The same genes act in a dominant manner with respect to eicosenoic acid but in an additive manner with respect to erucic acid content.